The poor area doesn't look like it will be revived anytime soon, West Hartford showed a lot of appreciation except the property taxes are out of control.  

The building is full except for one unit.

VERY good salary for our area...except the job is out of state. 

You just pay for the cost of recording the deed to your trust.By doing this, you have PRIVACY - no one will know what you own (except your trustees - who should be people that you trust and not any of your tenants).

Foreclosed homes tend to be owned by the bank and it's no different than purchasing any other property except for the fact that the bank is less likely to haggle with you.

I understood all of that except capitalizing and depreciating capital improvements.

-All utilities except the heat are separate.

Wish I could find the source on that data, but I've heard it more than once.Demand is insane, and looking on the MLS isn't going to get you a deal right away - with some rare exceptions, of course. 

Fannie rules for the delayed financing exception limit me to the initial $30k out during the initial 6 months.

A third option would be to consider a Private Lender which is similar to a Down Payment Equity Partnership except that you don't establish a business partnership with them.4.