Having said that, since you're a newbie my strong suggestion is to go thru a professional initially.  

If you are going to sell then you must understand the tax implications. 

Look for areas with stronger rental demand, lower property taxes, and minimal HOA fees to keep expenses down.

If you go to meetups, you will find friends and future partners.

If you ever want to get into a tenant nightmare of costly potential litigation become a landlord, have the ac go out in Phoenix in July, and inform the tenant that you just don’t have the funds to replace it!.    

I’m Erick, and it’s great to connect with someone new to the space. 

My question is, when you are looking to partner with someone to fund the down payment, what is the best way to find a partner without going to family/friends?

FWIWI use tenantalert.com  They used to be different name. 

In our area, its fairly "normal" for showings to happen after accepted offer to minimize disruption to tenants. 

Go to GET STARTED > EVENTS AND MEETUPS at the top of your screen.