I agree with your thoughts on making rentals more desirable to college students and with staying competitive through price.

I think the honest answer is that people don't want to divulge their sources, because they don't want the competition.      

I doubt this will make it's way to jumbo (>$625k loans in our area) fixed rate competitive interest rate pricing loans, but I see high balance non-FTHB as likely.That's far from a certain thing either way, but generally when Fannie Mae's money will consider something, the value of that thing goes up because folks are more liberal with her money (a mortgaged offer to purchase) than with their own money (an all cash purchase).

The whole reason for purchasing the duplex was to help save and pay for the proper legal advice.I'm hoping a good brain, a professional presentation, hard work, as well as being an open book will be my competitive advantage.

That does not mean that you can't find a good deal out there just be ready to work harder to be competitive.  

This market is very competitive and would like to learn more from experienced investors and connect with wholesalers and finance professionals.

My criteria are pretty strict in terms of location for a place I want to live:Walking distance to Newport or ~20 min via public transitNear to PATH (<= .75 mi) to be able to get into ManhattanEverything I’ve seen in the forums leads me to believe any properties in areas meeting these criteria are going to be highly competitive, and I only have about $100k to put down on a purchase.

The best place to go might be an area where things are going strong without worrying about the competition.  

Both are pretty tough right now in the highly-competitive DFW market.

Are there other avenues for financing these rentals and, if so, are the interest rates competitive?