There are much more to these stories, however, the common thread that I saw with both of them is that they didn't consult a mentor or coach in their strategies in acquiring these properties.  

We live overseas, so this is pretty key for us acquiring new properties and refinancing loans.

you'll have to confirm this but I believe the rule is that if the property has been bought and sold within 120 days before you acquire it, the FHA requires a second appraisal. 

It reads:(2)(a) A parcel owner, regardless of how his or her title to property has been acquired, including by purchase at a foreclosure sale or by deed in lieu of foreclosure, is liable for all assessments that come due while he or she is the parcel owner.

You could consider taking advantage of a low down payment option of buying local and house hacking to learn the ropes of acquiring/investing in real estate and then slowly branch out to out of state investing if that is something you are interested in.  

I'm interested in acquiring this townhouse in Los Angeles, CA.

I've acquired my 3rd property recently and I still have them all under my SSN as a Sole Proprietor.

I'm considered a real estate newbie, working on acquiring my 2nd investment property to rehab and refi. 

Understand Dodd Frank when applying credits and lease options; Lease purchase agreements can be a way for sellers to find a buyer, acquiring both a buyer commitment for the future as well as rental income now, to defray monthly obligations; A seller's offer of lease purchase can also attract a buyer who wants the property but needs a little additional time to complete loan qualification and does not want to or cannot make an immediate down payment; terms of payment in a lease purchase should conform to local rental data for comparable homes; the amount paid monthly to be set aside for down payment of closing costs should be in excess of the going rental rate; if not, the lender arranging the mortgage at lease end may not accept the set aside funds; instead, the lender will disqualify the funds by declaring them a "gift" from the seller to the buyer; lease purchase documents should be drawn up with legal counsel to address eventualities such as the buyer not qualifying to purchase at lease end or a market value decline impacting the agreed purchase price and lender's terms. 8.Selling to Relatives - Selling to relatives can be a good option if the seller is having trouble moving the property or if they desire to keep the property in the family; if the property is owned outright, there are few challenges, but if a conventional loan is needed to complete the deal, it can get tricky; creating conditions where a lender is convinced that this is an "arm's length transaction" may be challenging.

Long story short, I live in Hawaii right now and looking into acquiring rental properties in mainland where SFHs under 100k are widely available.