I am trying to scale with larger properties (10+ unit bldgs.) so I am exploring different funding strategies beyond zero down and including OPM

He was very patient with us as first time real estate investors and went to bat for many different properties for us.

@Robert Brock, I guess my advice is not really any different than I would say to someone wanting to be a residential wholesaler: you need to add value to the transaction.Often times, having the deal tied up is the value, but more often then not, in my limited experience with commercial wholesalers and residential, the wholesaler has no idea what someone will actually pay, so they tie up a deal at too high a price and then add their fee that turns a bad investment into a horrible investment. 

As has been pointed out already, it's a different business model and do they even know to manage it? 

They are different things but with seemingly lots of overlap. 

A key lesson here is buying at the right price; overpaying by $15K can make a big difference.

(Not being a vet I’m not sure of the interest rate difference but know that the 3.5% down FHA is often worse than a conventional 5% down.).

3X is a GREAT entry for most as long as it's not a sinking ship or with crushing overhead and miniscule margins. 4X-7X is a normalized range for acquiring many different business's.  3X earnings?  

It was all really quick, and the time to complete everything happened a lot faster than I expected (which was a good thing).I was worried at first that I had to use all the partners that Rent to Retirement had, but it was really easy for me to shop around for different lenders with different terms and rates, insurance providers, and property management company.

It keeps more money in your pocket and if you refinance within 2 - 3 months, the interest rate will not make a big difference.