Congrats on owning your first home in North Port, FL and looking to take that next step into long-term rental investing.

No, it's not a normal business practice and does not pass the smell test.From driving? 

Find a good lender, get pre approved, make sure you practice running the #'s using the 100's of videos and guides from BP, find an investor friendly Realtor, and then start making offers on any property that meets your goal.

.🎯 Your 6-Month Timeline:Month 1: Foundation (5-7 hours/week)Morning routine: 1 hour daily market researchEvening routine: Deal analysis practiceWeekend: BP forums & networkingKey Goal: Analyze 10 deals on paperMonth 2: Education (8-10 hours/week)Complete 1 RE courseJoin 2 local REI groupsSchedule lunch breaks with agentsKey Goal: Build your initial power team listMonth 3: Systems (10-12 hours/week)Set up deal tracking systemCreate document templatesEstablish banking relationshipsKey Goal: Ready to make offersMonth 4: Lead Generation (12-15 hours/week)Drive neighborhoods after workWeekend open housesSetup automated MLS alertsKey Goal: Generate first 5 qualified leadsNow, the Owners and Brokers you deal with may not enjoy this, but you can certainly "practice" making offers.  

The last lender I’ve tried to get a pre-approval had a, imo, patronizing response saying,”Although lots of people talk on social media about buying a three or four unit property with only 3.5% down in practice it almost never works.”All lenders who I’ve tried to give a pre-approval for has tried to sway me to switch to a 5% conventional instead.

But I'm not an attorney, so maybe I'm totally wrong on this hunch.My 2nd comment is directly within my practice area though.

You've gotten a great response above from @Michael Plaks I'll also note that for this or any similar "strategy" people come across to just step back and ask the following: Does this have a genuine profit/business motive? 

I invest primarily in Pittsburgh and if you asked me I'd probably try to talk you OUT of investing here unless you're willing to follow the steps I outlined about getting situated

I would be looking for HOW they explain it and whether they blame others, accept responsibility, and what steps they took as things unfolded.

That should have been step 1.