I take a picture of their driver's license.I ask for phone numbers that accept texts and any alternate land or business phone numbers.I ask for the names and birth dates of anyone under 18, and ask if there are any service / emotional support animals, together with their names and breeds.I also ask for personal references, previous landlord contact info (and length of time there), employer contact info (and how long there, together with earnings), as well as the name and contact information for their manager / boss.

Dealing with warranty service is a pain in any situation but when you also have to deal with a tenant on top its even worse.

Gifting equity in a house may be more trouble than it is worth if you are not near the life-time exclusion1) Potentially having to get the property appraised everytime an equity is gifted2) Having a title company update the title every time3) Exemption of the gift tax return is normally for cash gifts below the annual gift tax exclusion, you may still need to file if you gift non-cash4) If there is partial ownership over several years, having to properly pro-rate certain items such as real estate taxes, mortgage interest and rental income if the property is a rentalBest of luck 

Though DSCR gives you a better picture of how the property is projected to perform vs debt service, you can't rely solely on one measure to make a purchase decision. 

Hard money is a type of business loan for non-owner occupying investors.

Or, depending on the property you could go non-QM with like a DSCR loan and close in an LLC or partnership.

If it is with HUD, did they foreclose or is HUD servicing the loan? 

You may want to make an introduction between your CPA to those 2 colleagues.The CPA can go over their services and pricing to your colleagues.I partner with many people on real estate deals - It never gets to a discussion on whether they do their own tax return or hire a professional.If a partner mentions he will provide capital - does he provide the capital on a timely manner.If a partner mentions he will find deals - does he find many deals and provide an analysisIf a partner mentions he will manage a property - does he manage the property well(find tenants, collect rent, communicate with contractors, etc)

Are there specific lenders or servicers that are more likely to call these loans?

You CAN limit that agreement to a specific property; but, as others have stated, agents are looking for a certain amount of loyalty from their clients.If an agent gets vibes from a prospective client that indicates that they want to cheapskate and not pay a professional for their service, they are not likely to waste their time with them.