@Scott AndersonIn the past I've funded some deals for others but now I'm striking out on my own so I'm a bit of a newbie too from this angle.  

I have been looking and putting in offers for the last couple of month and have been striking out with the MLS.

If that strikes a cord, I will dig in a bit more to find out what would help solve his problem.

A municipality local to me had a "one strike" ordinance for a while where if anyone on the rental property was arrested (not even convicted) of a drug or firearm offense they would shut down the unit for 6 months so the landlord wouldn't get any rent.

If you do your due diligence its also rare to strike out on a deal, happens but not very often compared to the base hits you get. 

They have a podcast you can listen to and see if they strike a chord with you. 

We want to strike quickly and take action, but we know that we don’t want to jump into a disastrous deal.

That line strikes me as highly suspicious.If you are sure the deal is on the up-and-up, then there are probably ways to work with his bank to find something that they will be ok with.

@Andrew Postell strikes again <insert onomatopoeia here>

And those that I have heard share their stories of owning properties that they have free and clear just really strikes a chord with me.