To confirm my recommendation ask him for references at his current developments, I bet he won’t give you names and will make up an excuse!

In both my seller financed deals the primary bank I was betting on backed out.

The owner needs to know you are solid, a good bet.

That said, targeting homes needing work or properties sitting unsold due to poor pricing can still yield opportunities—that's what I do successfully.

Good luck, you are a busy man with school, family and baseball.Likely your best bet is house hacking (if your partner and child are willing to share housing). 

It's very important to have a good PM and not go cheap or there's a high chance your rental will get poorly managed and you'll lose money in the long run. 

And unlike some Midwest markets this positive cash flow is such that it includes realistic sustained expenses.How is this possible when west coast markets have poor initial cash flow?  

I allocated $500/month for insurance which is part of why such a promising revenue to cost projects such poor COC.  

Even with the reduced rates, my cash flow is poor for my equity position (i would still be cash flow negative at today’s rates).  

I have personally purchased large apartment complexes from REITs and know how poorly some of them manage their properties.