As a Mortgage Banker, I have a pretty good feel for the market pulse here and i have begun flipping houses for this need exactly. 

Plus, it was so amazing to hear other peoples stories and see that the fears that i had about getting into real estate investing is a pretty common thing.I wish you the best of luck in your search.

This is a pretty specific question, but if anyone can answer it im sure its someone here.How could i research what type of building to put on a commercial lot?  

And hands me a copy of the Portland Metro business journal.Each week they feature the top business in the metro area.. in real estate health high tech you name it.this one was top 30 new construction builders..And there I was Number 24  .. and well DR Horton was number 1. 

@Irtza Ali, I'm working through this exact scenario on a ~1300 sqft lot and I'm pretty familiar with the requirements in Philadelphia.

I know Freddie/Fannie do not permit lending to an entity, so it would have to be pretty creative either way.If I somehow figured out how to merge my contribution with a partner's contribution to the down payment, how would I get around the DTI restrictions? 

As @Knifie Burks said, Oak Park is pretty rough on prices, especially if you factor in the sky high property taxes.

View report*This link comes directly from our calculators, based on information input by the member who posted.Hello,Pretty new at the calculator (and real estate).

Pretty rough location and I guess they were busy.

That was actually pretty fast from your first post to now having something under contract.