Once the apartment is vacant and ready for occupancy, I would record a video tour. 

You may be confusing what's a great deal for a owner occupant with what's a great deal for an investorA great deal for an owner occupant would be a house they love, at a price they can afford, with financing available, in good condition, in an appreciating area, at or slightly below market value.  

The unit has 3 bedrooms, so I think we're good as far as occupancy. 

In this case the occupant is your business partner and the company you set up could fund the down payment or you could gift it to him?

The owner occupant property owners that apply are favored over investors.Good luck to you!

When I am looking at a new market, other than the typical checking comparables - I take a look at bestplaces.net and evaluate the economics, population trends, and occupancy metrics, etc.Finally, I put a test ad (with representative photos) out near the subject property at the market rent levels I expect to be able to get.  

are you running the numbers for an owner occupant or non owner occupant property.

What do they see them selling for per unit, what is the market occupancy rate.

As an owner occupant, you can get much better financing than you can if you buy as an investor.

He found a few candidates but didn't place them because the new Certificate of Occupancy had gotten delayed.