My intentions are to purchase single-family homes from motivated sellers and hold them as rentals in a relatively small geographic area (Edwardsville, IL). 

Hello everyone, I'm living in Atlanta for almost 5 years now and I'm motivated to get more into real estate investing full time. 

I was thinking some sort of a ledge or shelf across the width of the sink? 

Not a motivated seller.

I would recommend interview few brokerages talk to other realtors and join a brokerage that is offering some sort of training.

If not, what would be motivation for the lender to pressure client into FHA?

Watching your mortgage payments get paid by someone else is always a good motivator (becoming a landlord brings its own challenges, but it's one of the easier strategies to explain).I wish you the best!

Seller seems pretty motivated (i.e. flexible) and has nothing to lose by working with me to get this thing closed, rehabbed, and cash flowing again, so perhaps he will entertain some creative techniques to get this done.David, or anyone else, can you give me some more guidance on the owner financing terms I might go back to the seller with?

What sort of building would you like ideally?

Typically LLC financing is going to be some sort of portfolio lender.