What I've considered doing is joint venturing with an investor to cover the down payment and liquidity requirements, paired with a finance company to lower the initial amount of cash the investor is fronting, which i think is what I'm going to do in the end

We bought foreclosures on the courthouse steps for 2 years with a private lender. 

I'm not so familiar what the steps are to do that, or the detailed mechanics.   

. $91K - Much less then the initial down payment and what we have paid since 2007.Keep renting - We are on the low end of rent still and could probably raise if another $25-$50 per month within the next year - other expenses - HOA- 1,120 annually ; Home Warranty - $755 annually  OR something else?

I am seeking advice on some steps concerning getting funding for my next investment property. 

REI is a very important step.

We might raise it $25k from our initially planned price.

You do the same steps locally or out of state.

Btw, sorry about the errors in my initial post, spell check ' helped' me!

Helps my first steps!