They countered with giving me a credit for $2,500 at closing.

Be prepared for a ton of phone calls and "stop by's" in the process if you involve them in the front end 

I will say most are more expensive than you'll find in Houston though so be prepared.

You will likely have a difficult time finding an agent to prepare a low ball offer like that because the likelihood of winning is so low.

It is my understanding that if you go 5 units or more you will need a Comercial loan and Comercial loans look at the property value and the revenue it generates and not so much credit score or DTI...so look for properties that are 5 units or more.Or do BRRR (Buy, rent, rehab, refinance) using a private loan (mom and dad or invester) or hard money loan.I hope this helps a bit.Good luck!

I approached a larger branch bank chain, would i have better luck at a small credit union or a mom and pop bank?

@Brent Kiger I've been using rentigo for a while now and am really happy - @Cornelius Dudley is right - the tenants pay a service fee for using credit card or ACH and I'm assuming that's where they make their money from. 

We have great credit scores and high income.

Checked with Local credit unions and banks in local Erie,PA. they have their own regulations on out of state properties2.

I know that might be a bit of a stretch but I have excellent credit and am willing to put skin in the game.