He states that a permit is not needed to be pulled due to all the extra cost associated with it, also, he states that if we do not plan on selling the home, then a permit is not needed.

This differs greatly with multifamily where you can list a made-ready apartment, setup 5-10 showing appointments for the same day and rent it by the end of that day.If you want to add value to a commercial landlord, one way would be to explain how you can limit their vacancies by having contacts within the industries they are renting to; for example; contacts with local dental associations etc.

I've heard great stuff about East Ridge, Hixson, and Red Bank, and I have found some properties that I am personally interested in in East Ridge, but the crime rate in the zip codes associated with these regions seems really high.

You can contact your State Self Storage Association, watch numerous You Tube videos, and obviously there’s a plethora of posts & forums on Biggerpockets.

Here is cross reference between landlord friendly states and their associated property taxes :)LANDLORD FRIENDLY X LOW TAXESWESTIdahoWyomingColoradoArizonaUtah (moderately friendly)New Mexico (moderately friendly)MIDWESTSOUTHWest VirginiaAlabamaLouisianaSouth CarolinaArkansasMississippiTennessee (moderately friendly)NORTHEASTLANDLORD FRIENDLY X MODERATE TAXESWESTMontanaAlaskaMIDWESTIndianaOklahomaMissouriNorth DakotaSouth DakotaSOUTHKentuckyNorth CarolinaFloridaGeorgiaVirginia (moderately friendly)NORTHEASTLANDLORD FRIENDLY X HIGH TAXESWESTMIDWESTOhioMichiganIowa (moderately friendly)Wisconsin (moderately friendly)Illinois (Chicago is tenant friendly)SOUTHTexasNORTHEASTPennsylvaniaNew Hampshire (moderately friendly)

Bottom line:  it's a tough time to start a business in real estate - especially when you will need to pay desk fees to a Brokerage to hold your license as well as fees to the MLS and Realtor's Association. 

Join your local real estate investors association and someone maybe willing to help you out. 

Then reach out to a mortgage lender to see what steps you would have to take to get an approval.The second thing you could do would be to connect with your local Real Estate investors Association.

Funds that blend these various product types will offer different returns in line with the perceived (or actual) risk associated with the underlying.Another major variable is the skill and track record of the management of the sponsoring entity that controls the asset. 

Join a local REI or Land Lord Association in your area and attend meetings and hang out here.