FHA is guarantee'ing this money with their mortgage insurance fund so this is like a safeguard guideline to insure they dont go bust like in 2008-2010 when they had to raise their FHA premiums like crazy.85% is a factor to discount the gross income to calculate net rents for income and DTI purposes although most lenders will default to 75% of gross either as an overlay or some areas are in fact 75% depending on the HUD/FHA area.The 75% for the self sufficiency rule (SS) is separate, basically FHA takes the "lower," of current leases or appraisers determination of market rents. 

Are their safe guards with this strategy as well as tax write offs?

In addition to your LLC protection, procedural safeguards on how you administer the properties will reduce legal risk.

I can see the authors points that gold "hoarding" does not hurt industry, only hurts govts printing too much money, thus safeguards the savings of everyone.

I see no issue to your tenants they are not working on or replacing the siding, it's only when it's disturbed. like drilling into it or removing it that proper safe guards are done to contain and dispose of.

In my opinion, yes a realtor has more safeguards in place and usually has more protections for themselves and their business, but in a market like we have now in many places there are lots of brokers just signing agents in hopes of capturing more volume and from what I see, offering much less quality service than in a normal or slow market.I guess part of the way I view them, without a very established relationship- the wholesaler is the yard sale, craigslist listing or facebook marketplace item. 

May cost a little more but could save you time getting tenants out, it ensures they leave property in current conditions, and safe guards you from having to do evictions.

That doesn't deal with defects.There can be provisions in the purchase and sale agreement you use which help safe guard against some types of defects.

Not that my opion would ever hurt his program, seems there would only be an up side.I'd be alot more receptive about folks selling materials if they were to post or publish the real nuts and bolts.....and it wouldn't matter since most would not be able to execute the trasaction without other specifics, but at least give the overall safeguards of thos specifics.

Either sell or have a mind set of this is a business and you will have losses, and you've learned what that entails as most of the rest of us have, so download you state landlord tenant laws and learn how best to run your business and safeguard what you have.