Who would typically take care of these? 

@David F.As Russell mentioned co-ops are probably 1/2 the price of a condo and you would also have extensive costs to set up a co-op and typically it’s my understanding the builder funds the first 1-2 years of reserves.

Assuming typical water pressure of course.

Typically an FHA lender will want to see 2 years of work history in the same field before they will approve you for a loan.

Additionally, how many calls does it typically take you to successfully close a deal using this approach?

Some of the family-business real estate companies are starting to move from the (typically) patriarch who started the company in the 90s into the kids who are in their early 40's +/-.  

Investors typically want to stay within the original budget.The only way to do this is to stick to the plan and avoid COs!

That's typically because they have a lot of money and experience.

You'll typically need to set up your account and get familiar with the process of working with the local housing authority.

However, the road block I face is getting to a point where I think it’s an “ok” deal (meaning it’s not fulfilling the 1% rule, but more like 0.75% and little to no immediate renovation cost/typically a new build townhome) and then I start to question whether I could find a BETTER deal if I just keep looking.