They tend to find the worse for wear properties at the lowest prices, so if you're looking to do heavy rehabs that's a good starting point. speaking with other flippers in the area or real estate agents would help give you the best idea of what you may be looking at for ARV's and rents if you planned on holding any of your properties. 

Once you go commercial, the loans are a lot more negotiable since they tend to be portfolio lenders and hold the loan in house.

Seeking any insight or referrals to family office or trust representatives. 

Finding an established group that finds a way to get deals done tends to be as helpful as anything as many of us have had experiences of weird and seemingly unnecessary denials.I do like to make sure that its a region they lend to and the type of project that they do.

In my area, homes with pools tend to sell much quicker and at a higher price per square foot.

@Thomas SehonRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

Do you have any referrals?

In these scenarios - does affordable housing tend to go with the actual market rent? 

My general impression of the area is that you tend to be better off getting the more expensive homes, as they usually house more people and have significantly higher rental projections.

Reach out to me, I can send you some referrals.