Meanwhile, their mom wants to list a house and their friend wants to buy a house at the same time (taking their eye of the ball).

Just keep an eye on interest rates and your ability to cover any cash flow gaps.Consider properties that need a bit of work or up-and-coming neighborhoods for better deals.

Would obviously have preferred to use a third party but this accomplishes exactly what I need - a birds eye view of the profitability each month without have to re-enter operational and tenant data into my own system when the property manager is already tracking this information. 

My eyes used to glaze over when my hubby tried to explain it back then, but now he has my FULL attention on this topic.I definitely think it is a big risk BUT the potential rewards are so vast that I think it is crazy not to dip a toe in with whatever amount you are comfortable gambling with.We saw our light coin investment almost triple in about one week...nothing else I’ve been involved in gives those kinds of returns so quickly.

As mentioned if you're concerned, just keep a close eye on your credit profile during that period!

Their prerogative of course, and I understand why a seller would be apprehensive of a buyer that hasn't set their own eyes on a property,  but does anyone have any suggestions or advice on how to get them back talking with me?

This has opened my eyes and helped me dodge a bullet.

In Residential, just picture that in general most everyone is a vulnerable person, in eyes of law.

I have seen costs vary widely from contractor to contractor and you want to go in with all eyes wide open. 

I've been keeping my eye on San Antonio a bit as it seems it's going through a correction and potential for cash flow may be increasing.