Prices dropped in the last recession because of the highest supply the country has ever seen, combined with low demand. 

We now invest in markets where we can maximize the combination of cash flow, appreciation & initial equity. 

But in the end, a combination of running the numbers (the house listed for $300K but hardly worth $200, is probably not a good fit) and my investment partner (wife) reminding me when it’s outside our scope.

There's no reason a combination of funds from multiple sources couldn't be used to purchase a property like cash.

30 year fixed at 3% with about $700 in pointsMy wife and I currently gross about $500k combined via W2 wages, in 3 years probably up around $1million per year. 

The less exciting news is that this July 15, formerly known as April 15, combines several important deadlines.

30 year fixed at 3% with about $700 in pointsMy wife and I currently gross about $500k combined via W2 wages, in 3 years probably up around $1million per year.

Combine that with debt paydown, tax benefits and cash flow, and you are starting to build some serious longterm wealth with only $20k down.

My problem is I don’t know if there is a way I can talk to both sellers and combine the purchase from them under 1 mortgage.

You may end up combining a little bit of your gut call w/ the numbers to make a decision which way to go.