Anyway, I am a us veteran how hard would it be for me to obtain a federal loan to buy a fixer property and a credit check is not as critical to rehab a property vs the banking system?

I would be at the mercy of the sellers lawyer and the slow court system.

Submit a 25% lower than list price offer and the system will counter you with the lowest acceptable net to HUD offer.+ Check CraigsList for motivated sellers that don't realize what their home is worth because they are to cheap to hire a professional, or are so motivated that they don't care that you are getting a deal.

I also found many articles about landlords shooting or stabbing tenants.The valuable lesson learned on BP today is to use the legal system and don't try to collect rent in person.

For basement units (I'm assuming that one of the units is in the basement) I'd want to carefully look to see what the water issues are down there: is there a french drain or other system?

Or whether it would classify as improvement to the house, as oil tanks are part of the heating system.  

Does your system bring in more deals or just make me spend more time on the phone with tire kickers?

The same numbers rules apply, but some additional things to look for:Metering (same meters or separate), if separate allows you to easily split utility bills among tenants.Sewage systems connected or separate (helps with plumbing repairs and whatnot).Rental rates and if they reside on a street with mostly rentals or by themselves.

In the long run I see the better issuers using their own technology and marketing systems to attract investment dollars using the issuer exemption and the platforms and portals being eliminated from the equation entirely.  

Check water pipes, systems, and faucets before the tenants move in or when problems arise.