This is what I was looking for, thank you so much for taking time to offer up this advice.

My conclusion is that Oregon offers some of the most investor friendly coastal property operating expenses and value in the country. 

Yes, you can use FHA and Conventional program for a primary home if you are buying a "Distressed" property - (Will not pass an inspection) "Subject to">  FHA offers a 203K loan and Fanie Mae offers a Home Style program which has the sole purpose of working with distressed properties. 

We waited 7 months for the bank to make a decision on the short sale, and once the bank came back with an acceptance counter-offer, our buyer bailed, even after multiple times of telling him this was a really good deal!

The idea is to understand how to make the financing work on my end and come up with some budget then start approaching land owners with a set plan/offer to see if any of them are willing to sell.Need some creative ideas from some experts to help me understand how I could make something like this happen.

Generally any multi family purchases 5+ units is considered commercial, and although many lenders offer financing, the down payment requirements will be slightly higher..usually 25-35% depending on the number of doors.  

What do you offer to a JV opportunity? 

Did you get robbed or offered drugs while walking around? 

I cannot recommend much about the areas in Dallas, but i can definitely offer my expertise as Mortgage Loan Officer, Investor and Short Term Rental host.Feel free to reach out :)

Saying that, we are only interested in buy-and-hold investments that offer positive cash flow upon purchase and some minor non-structural reno's.