They didn't want men gambling away the house in a poker game and leaving the women and children without a place to live.The intent I think for a home to be designated your homestead is that is where you live. 

Could you please provide me with information on how to connect with this specific population and any requirements or guidelines that I should be aware of?"

If doing a percentage, they can be a minority partner with an equity split agreement.If you are using them to fund the downpayment, you'd want to make sure you fit within the lending guidelines.

Finally, look at lenders that have been doing this a long time- they have insurance companies that they usually use (if the client agrees) that know exactly how to write it up based off of the lender's stringent guidelines.

Conventional does not have this requirement at the moment, but there are rumors that Freddie will be updating guidelines soon to require 1 year of landlord/PM experience for investment property loans.

If you invested $50k or $100k would that $10k or $20k be better investing it in a lower risk asset or continue to take the gamble of red vs black?

One of our handymen is a porter at another co-op with similar guidelines and he reports that the majority of unit owners find ways to keep their apartments rented long-term vs. moving back in.All the best!

It highly depends on the rep you are working with and the mortgage broker's willingness to understand the lender's guidelines prior to submission.

I dont base investments on a guideline but may give a place to start looking.

You could still potentially qualify for FHA 3.5% down, but if you are looking for true Fannie/Freddie financing then those are the guidelines they set.