The rent roll was so close to 1% of list price (which in my opinion is too high to start with) that I was instantly interested. 

Nothing sits on the market for a year that isn't wildly over priced, poorly marketed and/or made difficult to show.Potential buyers have probably tried to see the place and are being denied or some sort of nonsense to make them not want to make an offer.I bet the realtor will have some interesting info to share - or if they won't say anything to you bc their agreement is with your partner kindly share with them that the houses are in your name and the listing's need canceled immediately unless they start cooperating.Have you laywerd up yet?

Most lenders are charging 2pts these days, but I'm starting to see that approach 1pt or less, especially for experienced borrowers. 

The Short Sale was kicked off to the FHA Short Sale department and we had to start again.

I would probably start monthly or bi-weekly "safety inspections" to A) document any lack of evidence of risks/issues to the tenant's safety to be prepared to legally defend yourself in the future, and B) to monitor for new/worsening damage to the unit.

That bubble will burst in a very legally challenging way for people who follow that bad advice.Second, you have to be in a position to handle a Due on Salecall.Third you have to be in a position to make every payment on time even if the property is sitting there vacant.You have to know why you are buying the property and what you are going to do with it to be cash positive without question.There are other things but that is a start.

Do your own research, develop an investment thesis, and then start checking properties in AirDNA to verify your ideas. 

The best way to start investing with 0% down is to buy a multi-family and live in one of the units. 

Don't order the dumpster a few days in advance before they start work and let it sit.

There's never a bad time to start!