This makes it difficult for a new investor when attempting to find a deal that cashflows enough to make it worth buying (depending on your goals). 

Would you recommend I reach out to investors and just try to wholesale properties or look into Hard money lenders and attempt to flip properties? 

A lot apartments Hoa that I know of in Hialeah don’t have “reserves” like the one I was attempting to buy for my parents.

Who knows what other infraction he’ll do or try to attempt.

We are attempting to purchase this property with a 20% down payment.

This my first real attempt at helping someone so my thoughts on acquiring property are to find/create the wholesale contract, get the property under contract once I confirm the mortgage balance.

They do have a CES designation (much like the  different designations of professional realtors) that attempts to provide a level of confidence.   

So we've actually never been successful in accomplishing this, even when it was an attempt to do a cashout refi.

If you arent going to attempt to re-zone the building (very tough) I wouldn't spend the high cost of adding another entrance/exit. 2.

And don’t skip over the advice about asking the lender what name they lend under and then attempting to verify their prior loans.