And your point about a lingering HM loan makes sense.

FHA loan through my mortgage broker associates.

I don't think you will get anyone to loan you money on tax liens/deeds. 

If you can find someone to loan you money for this endeavor please share their information with us all.

Are there any options for lower down payment loans in general or even for college students?

So I'm strongly considering adding a handful of these to my buy & hold portfolio.I understand that there's no "risk-free" method to acquiring these properties subto, but have any of you had success over the long-term acquiring properties with VA loans attached?

If you are interested in becoming a landlord or buy and hold investor a great way to get started is by house hacking a multifamily with an owner occupied loan. 

He is very good about deductions on tax returns so his income looks negligible and of course banks wont talk to him about loans.

If it's on your credit, you are on the hook for it.However, it shouldn't effect the loan process too much, a simple Letter Of Explanation should be able to get the job done with the correct investor. 

We also work with 203K construction loans which NEVER give a deposit.