Here everything is old, flat roofed, and sketchy/tired. 

If so, were permits pulled & were they installed by a professional5.Are any of the homes rented to students6.Is there a flat roof7.are there asbestos shingles 8.

Large numbers of homes near UNM are Southwestern and have flat roofs with stucco exteriors, but there are other styles as well including some rather Victorian ones closer to downtown.  

@Tony Roberts I would doubt if anyone will do a 10 yr loan for a flat 10 percent.

The easiest way is to have them as a 2nd lien holder and give you a flat rate interest only..But joint venture would be most appealing as $90k is pretty much 50% capital on this deal correct?

You can find down payment assistance programs for 6-10K here (SFR and 2 UNITS ONLY): https://www.ihda.org/my-home/getting-an-ihda-loan/Stackable with the IHDA program, for DuPage county, the county offers up to 3K and this program up to 15K for down payment assistance (SFR ONLY):https://www.homedupage.org/For the single family homes (or in your owner occupied unit of the 2-flat), rent out rooms to potentially eliminate living expenses and generate cash flow to fuel your next investment.

Cons: NO idea how to find good renters and what kind of paper work is needed but have a friend who helps find units for people: might be vacant for a little before being rented.Option 2: 3 flat out in the burbs - listed currently at $610 - FHA eligible - put about $31,000 down - get 3 units - have to live in one technically because of the rules of the FHA but two are currently rented out bringing in about 3000 a month.

Is it more advisable to remove the paneling, paint it or skim coat it with drywall compound?  

Typically I (hire an electrician) wire in timers to the panel, or to a sub panel and plug lights in to that.

Some have a flat score and some are weighted.