Any advice on how to navigate this while keeping the deal intact or potential transfer of partners would be greatly appreciated!

They will show the property, send applications, review them, and review the applicants with you, and draft a lease and any necessary local docs needed for rentals. 

Attend real estate meetups and networking events in your area to connect with potential lenders and other investors.

The property had significant upside potential as it was priced below market value and required mostly cosmetic updates.

.: Any idea how far south the potential for Santa Ana or similar winds goes?  

Be diligent in your application process and verification. 

We have specific and unyielding criteria for this, which we provide to all potential borrowers in advance.

Real estate investing has been a passion of mine for time with my mother also having invested early on where I likely have gotten the love and desire to follow similar foot steps.I have taken last 6 months to educate myself and currently own a single family home as primary residence and would like to expand to multi family properties (2-4 units) for additional stream of income, not to mention potential tax benefits for long-term investing.Based on current living situation, I have a fair amount of equity established in my primary residency along with having enough cash to either pay off house completely or use towards investing in a multi family property.Given that I'm the sole source of income for our household with my wife being the home maker for our two kids under 2, trying to weigh out risks with getting started now or perhaps waiting. 

I would characterize Columbus as some positive cash flow but amazing appreciation potential.

The market does offer lower priced investment opportunities and higher cashflow returns, with ongoing revitalization projects like the DORA boosting appreciation potential.