any tips or advice about the area?

@Carolyn Brown You might want to look into smaller Credit Unions also. 

Thanks for all the tips.

@Brian Mcmenamin Thanks for those tips!

vacancy is an imaginary cost that you estimate upfront to ensure your investment can sustain itself and actually make money. you do not need to put aside any amount of money every month, as long as you have a reserve account with enough to cover your mortgage payment when the time comes. to make life easier, some investors will put this percentage aside every month to fund their reserve account, but it truly can come from your pocket, a line of credit, or any other vehicle you use.

The only way to wrap closing costs into the loan when purchasing a property would be to ask the seller to give you a credit - 2% for investment purchases. 

I was using smart move online form which gets the background on criminal, credit and income information from the tenant.

And any tips for negotiation with the sellers?

Tell him you have a 900 credit score and I’m sure he will say that’s great.

Then there’s also accountants, attorneys, and credit repair specialists who work with individuals with issues that prevent them from getting a mortgage.