A solid pre-screening of the contractor upfront that spells out the expectations should somewhat reduce or eliminate the question of one side bailing out on the other.

I unfortunately made the mistake of investing with him a year ago and have yet to receive anything back.

It only happened once, so you have no evidence that this is anything but an honest mistake that's been corrected.The bigger concern is the 583 credit score, because it shows a pattern of financial mismanagement.

Most investors at those meetups will also give you a list of things to look out for and share some mistakes they've made along the way to try and help. 

Purchase concerns, I only know Roku, but the few apps(channels) that have this on Roku have a purchase restriction option you can turn on to eliminate this problem. 

Section 8  rates (and lower) will also give you a rough idea of what your market rent will be.Yours is an object lesson in the mistake of buying what you can afford up front rather than what is a good opportunity.People just starting out should only buy local, that they themselves can inspect and get a feel for.

Biggest mistake I made was not keeping 50 or so more of the 500 I flipped, cost me millions, All the best  My last 3 multi families 2429 nw 81 3/2+ 3/2 purchased at 385 October 2441 nw 81  3/2+ 3/2 purchased at 400 October 441 nw 44th 3/2+2/1 purchased at 280 August again there’s deals , you just have to look.

My lender seems to have done a little mistake and my father who is co-signing was never told he has to be down here for the signing which was suppose to happen today at 1:00 and it cannot happen without a wet signature from him.

In retrospect, did I overpay or make a mistake with the purchase?

Problem: Alignment - this is hands down the most common mistake that I see.