Is there special certifications you will need  to be a land lord?

We made a full price offer on one then found it had problems with the status certificate.

I get solicitations from companies trying to sell me "training and certifications" that will supposedly get me reo listings all the time. 

You will likely receive the building's status certificate (I believe it's mandatory here, in Ontario, Canada).

I'm in CA so I verified with two seperate PM's whom I trust and they confirmed that big agencies just have more buerocracy and don't premit it.Being a newb I deferred my lack of knowledge to the big insurance agency and requested a Landlord Policy which is marketed to residential properties 4 units of less.The catch was they would add the PM as an interested party with a certificate of interest (99% sure it's called this) which they could review the policy, check the standing, and be notified of any changes not part of the CAR form agreeement the PM provided me.

Something you may want to discuss with your attorney next time you talk to her/him.Re: rents that were inaccurately represented by the seller, that's why in the future you should get estoppel certificates or the nicer RIAR version, "confirmation of rental terms" documents, signed by both seller and tenants, so everyone is on the same page as far as rent, security deposit, parking spaces, contact information, etc. for each unit.

For the future, you don't have to send it certified mail, there is a Certificate of Mailing that's less than $2 that certifies you mailed something on the date you said you did and to what name and address it was mailed - you do usually have to wait in line and ask the clerk for the form as they don't put them out like Priority or certified forms, but I do it for security deposit returns and other important documents. 

When I called for the final inspection from the city of Oakland, the inspector said before they can give us the certificate of occupancy we need to install separate gas as well as separate electric meters for the ADU.

There are a lot of other options out there, some of which may be simpler to implement though not by much.I also use a free Thawte certificate (www.thawte.com).

I did manage a handful of properties that I would not enter without carrying a .38, but we also carried commercial two-way FM radios which added to our sense of security, as maintenance and other staff were always alerted to where I was, and what I was observing.Crackheads are unpredictable, and can be very strong, so if this is an issue in your area, beware.