I need something that is well maintained already and occupied. 

It effectively turns thinkers into doers. 

 You need to:  A) Know thyself  B) Develop an understanding of what REIT's are and factors that effect their pricing  C) Develop an understanding of where you're going to invest if you buy physical propertyFor this comment Ill be talking about publicly traded REIT's as they're available to everyone through a brokerage account.

The kitchens all need help as well, the landlord has quite literally done nothing to renovate or remodel the property even with tenant requests as mentioned above -- effectively a slumlord.

IMO the chance 2008 happens again soon is low and even if it does it doesn't effect you unless you have to sell. 

Otherwise, it will indicate an income limit which you cannot exceed in order to qualify. https://sf.freddiemac.com/working-with-us/affordable-lending/home-possible-eligibility-mapdisclaimer - fannie mae has a program very similar, which they are making changes to effective July.

My understanding is that the HOA is responsible for maintaining the retainer wall, but I wouldn't want to be out of luck should a snow storm or heavy rain damage break it down.My Real Estate Agent is assuring me that this isn't a problem as it's been professionally installed and the other neighbors have been living with the same retainer wall too.What has your experience been with a retainer wall?

It depends largely on how well you maintain your properties, and how many units you rent.

A permanent rent increase of $10/month will be effective June 1 for any tenant that has not updated their information on our website by May 15.

You can find properties by driving for dollars, mailing owners, getting lists of code violation, evictions, property management companies, networking, etc but the most effective method is cold calling the owners directly.