I was excited to get to see both products in a real environment and even more excited to compare them side by side.

Your rental property is your business and you are held to very high standards and regulations by the law.

Also you have to be very careful in Savannah, it is the largest historical district in the USA, which places a great deal of regulations as far as renovating an historical property, and also jack up the price for an "historical" property.Price and Anderson is not the best area, but if you plan to hold it for awhile it could be a good play, as long as the gentrification continues you could catch some good appreciation.

In our current rental environment, there is a severe housing shortage for low-income and fixed income folks.

However, obviously that means a much longer process, more regulation, additional training and funds, etc.

You should be able to call the various utilities and obtain an average usage/cost estimate from them (they won't give you detailed information due to privacy regulations). 

(And even when you do have it under Contract, marketing it before owning it can come under very close scrutiny by the Regulators)...

Individuals are not banks or regulated lenders, but the theory of equity remains the same.

My understanding of the new TRID regulations was that NO fees can be collected until after the disclosure documents are sign.

A loan is a bond, offering partnership interests can be a security, solicitations for "investors" is regulated.