I'm curious as to the "financial institutions" you've talking to, were they banks?

I have some previous business debts to payoff, so once all the dust has settled with realtor commissions and other closing costs, I'd have roughly $400k-500k of cash at my disposal.  

He has another $50k in assets and $325k in investments and no debt.

As an investor who invests in distressed debt.

The reason is I want to separate my personal debt to income ratio from my real estate investing “business” and of course reduce personal risk. 

Quote from @Marquise Bailey-Dillard: Quote from @Tyler Munroe: Hi Marquise - congrats on paying off your debts!

Just contact a collections agency and send them proof of the debt owed (could be the signed lease agreement or a judgement if you have one).

Borrower Types: The Professional - HM Lender will cut sweet-heart deals to keep these borrowers around Experienced real estate investors Regularly engage in property transactions Typically have a track record of successful projects The Newbie - Charge Higher everything as the risk is higher as no experience Novice investors or first-time borrowers Limited experience in real estate Seeking to build their investment portfolio The Deadbeat - Only lend if the deal is so SWEET, they can't lose if they take the property from the Borrower Borrowers with poor credit history or financial difficulties High-risk borrowers May struggle to secure traditional financingThe lender will do an application on the deal/borrower and some standard docs they require are:Hard Money Application / ExperiencePurchase contractARV report – COMPS – See * Redfin*Pictures of Property – most people use Dropbox to shareProof of Funds – Down / Reserves (Bank Statements)Personal identification (ID or passport)But usually if the deal is sweet enough, they will do it anyway because if the deal goes south, there is so much equity/value in the property that the HM lender can't lose.

@Erich OertelRecommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a Class A property in Class D area, what quality of tenant will you get?

As an accredited investor you have access to hundreds of new potential syndications every month (and crowdfunding deals which are the same thing except are allowed to market on the Internet).You may want to start off on a site like CrowdStreet or FinResi , where you can view the variety ( different types of asset classes, strategies, stances) and start to come up with your own method for looking at deals (which matches your unique, personal  risk tolerance, financial situation and financial goals).Thanks Ian.