Wife is from Vzla so I have some ties there. 

If you have strong ties to Cleveland, and know it really well, and have a killer MTR PM picked out... that's great!  

They will charge extra for any extra work performed, but it could be much more beneficial than tying up that much equity in a partnership with someone you don't know.Also, if you ever do have a partnership, spend the money on the front-end with an attorney to get a sound operating agreement that makes the divorce less messy if it comes to that.

(For reference, the seller wants out and we don’t know that they are ethical enough to keep longer term ties)

They tie up lots of well located, on infrastructure land. 

Depreciation can't be transferred to another partner, as it is tied to ownership.

That has always been the case and is not tied to the current interest rate environment.

They're more blue collar and are not always the most reliable if they're too tied up in other projects.

Seems pretty standard, VA isn't as tied to credit scores as conventional would be. 

Wait for a stronger financial picture and speak with lenders to get pre-approved for higher loan amounts or favorable interest rates.