This can reduce the required down payment, often increase the allowable seller concession from 2 or 3% to 6% and lower the rate of interest, as well as expanding the types of mortgages eligible (in the case of ARM's, 40 year amortization, interest only or even 40 year interest only!?)

Looks like they are just a marketing arm.

I’ve been given quotes for everything from 5 year ARMs, 5 year ARM IO, to 7 to 10 years of both of those on up to 30 year fixed.

You can usually find better deals out there if you are willing to take on a ARM type product such as a 7/1 or 10/1 ARM. 

The first home was a 10/1 ARM at 3.39%, we anticipated paying off the home in 10 years so we took the lowest rate at that time. 

I didn't explicitly list all 7 ways to meet material participation, that makes the article "wrong" to you?

Paul, there are no restrictions for selling the property as long as the transaction is "arms length".

Also, the repairs that the property management company does, they charge me arm and a leg to do the repairs so now i have started hiring people on my own outside to do my repairs which has helped with costs. 

Case in point, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently testified in front of Congress and expressed explicit concern over non-bank mortgage lenders.

Thanks everyone  I wouldn't follow the advice on utilities and bringing them in or ever do suburban development for builders. it is too small of a market and niche. there are only 7 builders who build more than 50 houses a year in columbus and only 3 have development arms and all of them do their own development. we do land entitlement for multifamily three story walk ups only, barely any Build to rent or BTR either because it's such a small part of the market.