Patience can be your best friend and if you attempt to over leverage a property it can come back to hurt you.Some will recommend buying subject 2 where you could take over an existing mortgage that could be at a substantially lower rate - but if the lender finds out and calls the loan that could also be very bad.

The home prices have gone up substantially in recent I was expecting “forced” appreciation, but not to the extent of the market.

In this situation, can all the partners claim mortgage payment as expense in their individual taxes (or just the partner who owns the mortgage)?

Have you tried contacting the main office or different individuals in the company? 

Ironically it's normally the individuals who go to the greatest lengths believing they are protecting themselves who are the most reckless in the way in which they operate their real estate.

So, you, as an individual, may not get to the same rate that a MASSIVE national builder can...but you can certainly offer credits to the buyers to help buy down the rates. 

Your insurance is going to be highly variable and I wouldn't use what an agent or the seller tells you as the cost of dwelling policies have increased substantially over the past few years due to rising new construction costs. 

I've included an example below to help illustrate this.So different lenders have different rates (which do vary even for DSCR loans) but these are factors they all consider.See example below:DSCR < 1Principal + Interest = $1,700Taxes = $350, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $50Total PITIA = $2200Rent = $2000DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2000/2200 = 0.91Since the DSCR is 0.91, we know the expenses are greater than the income of the property.DSCR >1Principal + Interest = $1,500Taxes = $250, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $25Total PITIA = $1875 Rent = $2300DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2300/1875 = 1.23DSCR lenders generally let you vest either individually or as an LLC.

Gray area interpretation up to individual courts which have rendered seemingly contradictory decisions.  

When they get that commission check That's the benefit of working within a group that is QB'd by a single individual cause any new member gets the benefits already mined by the group.Financing Options: What types of loans or funding sources work best when scaling quickly?