I use patterned ones that look like granite or marble or quartz or similar so that stains and minor scratches don't show, and don't use a shiny surface - use as close to matte as possible - and light colors. 

Get the lender to explain the items to you- Dont make surface level comparisons of monthly payments or APR.

The contractor had left and didn't monitory drainage.

Sharma,Just a few things on the surface the deal looks great in terms of gained equity for the price plus injected costs to renovate/repair.

Settling / drainage - Gutter set up, gradient of surrounding land, how water moves during rain and subsequent cracks in/around house3.

Swim to the surface! 

Chipping or peeling paint on the interior & exterior surfaces is definitely something they look for. 

I'm intrigued by actually running the syndication myself assuming I can build out systems and a team that allow me to operate it on "auto-pilot" as much as I can, but as you stated, I was not aware if other strategies have surfaced since I last looked into investing or whether syndication was still a viable option.

Looking to purchase an income producing ag property, farm and pasture land, that also has a massive gravel production site, over 20 acres of it (approximately 400,000 tons). My approval odds aren't great, I'm a first ...

Unfortunately I think this only scratches the surface of your problems.