The answer to this question is really a personal one. 

Was that person me or another person as that sounds like something I have been telling people? 

@Enrique Toledo  If the seller is firm at 10% down, you can always get a personal loan for that 10%. 

Contents (Personal Property): most homeowners policies give a set % of the Buildinglimit for Contents.

It should be from someone who uses that person.

.: My question is… Do people promote buying rentals due to some sort of  personal benefit/conflict of interest?

Quote from @John Friendas Quote from @Patrick Roberts: If you are on the note or personally guarantee the debt, then it will affect the liability side of DTI, regardless of whether the lender reports the loan on your personal credit.

I personally walked and researched every property prior to investing to understand what I was buying, what could be done to add value and what I should expect in cash flow and appreciation.Learning what makes a good investment for you is absolutely necessary. 

The issue was a person sold their home subject 2 and the person who bought it stopped paying.

I've personally helped many OOS investors here and they've been very happy with returns.