That weird uncle everyone has will be glad to help take care of any family member disputes with unconventional methods, boating accidents, hunting accidents happen every day.

Seeing people give others money for down payment assistance etc. to me is just plain dumb.

This is essentially a finder fee for the member, payment collection fee, and support from padsplit.

I am planning on 20% down , then a fixed payment based on current typical rates for the next 5 years, then a balloon payout at the five year mark.  

Quote from @Brian Bowen: Is there a good free method or resource to find owner contact information?  

This property has strong potential, so think of your payments as an investment in your future portfolio. 

Some services provide numbers that have been involved in litigation, so those are the ones you should definitely remove from your lists.If your lists are hyper-focused, you might manage to get by with fewer removals from the DNC list.There are also non-DNC-related methods available, such as direct mail and digital marketing.

Raised the 25% down payment through a partnership with family members (my parents and my two oldest children).

More down means lower monthly payment means more cash flow.  

What does he consider a substantial down payment and does he know that he has to pay capital gains on that down payment instead of just on the payments?