The most important factors a hard money lender will look at, if you don't have experience, is your liquidity and credit score & history (as well as your background -- no liens, judgements, foreclosures, bankruptcies, etc).I would hit up @Michael Cid -- he's a tremendous resource and is a direct lender. 

Main thing here is your credit utilization rate: if you want to refi down the road, it is best to keep credit utilization as low as possible to keep your credit score up.

I had to prove that my credit score was acceptable, that I had not only good references from my current landlord, but the 2 previous ones.  

My credit score is 765 and I have the best credit history never missing a payment which will help me and my investments.Where can I find an investor to give me $50,000 to show the lender I have income and a down payment?

This is a huge plus because it offers liability protection, meaning your personal assets are shielded if there are any legal issues with tenants or the property.Doesn’t Appear on Your Personal Credit: One of the big perks is that these loans don’t get reported on your personal credit profile, so they won’t impact your credit score or debt visibility.

Minimum qualifications that I typically look for with tenants are a 600-620 credit score, need to be making at least 2.5-3x the monthly rent in combined income (verify their employment by making a call/googling), and I don't like to see any previous evictions/certain felonies for background check.

After the walk-through, they will see if the tenant has interest in renting, and if yes, they would sent them the questionnaire so they, and I quote, "save the tenant the $60 for application fee", in which within the questions it would be things such as, if they have pets, yearly income, cosigners, if credit score is above a certain number, etc.

He had great income and a great credit score, she didn't, and I had been vetting potential tenants for a month and a half, and I was finally happy to see someone with good income and credit. 

Building a strong financial foundation involves aiming for a credit score of 700+, educating yourself, building relationships with agents, lenders, and property managers, and analyzing properties with positive cash flow.

:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.