I moved to the DMV area 3 years ago and have attended several seminars that initially sparked my interest into real estate investing.

-They have backwards priorities -They are professionals and know they will get several more months out of the home even after you file for evection-They are simply bad with managing their money-Something changed in their lives and they can no longer afford to live there/ need to save money to get into the next place-They bit off more than they could chew initially (similar to being bad at managing money but more future budget related)The people that do pay are regular people who want a decent place to live and respect how the system works. 

Use that time to find your buyer and them get their initial inspections done.  

I offer the walk through because a failure in the initial stage could taint you on a great business.

You can immediately pull out your initial purchase if the LTV is there.

But to answer your initial question, there are lenders that will lend on longer terms.

Is real estate truly worth the stress and initial investment (down payment, closing costs, repairs/updating)?  

If so, the expenses will be deducted on Schedule E along with your rentals.Wholesaling, like flipping, is a business activity only once you have an initial property under contract.

.- During that initial week of escrow that the buyers are rushing around getting things done, mom dies, and the buyers frankly do not have the emotional strength to go through with this at this moment.

Buying the right house for your retirement, every time you PCS.Just some initial thoughts.