He inherited the properties from his father who unfortunately, did not keep good records and his accountant (in my opinion) is not good at all (he puts in expenses as part of P&L that are not considered operating expenses like depreciation and capex).

Credibility and a proven track record of closing deals goes a long way. 

I wanted to go on record as saying I just had my first networking coffee meeting with someone I connected with on BP: @Kyle PotswaldKyle was kind enough to sit with me, give his insights into lending (his business) and other aspects of RE investing.

Also Commercial Lenders where they don't care about you (other than maybe your overall track record and general credit score) and if the property generates enough income on its own to cover the mortgage + reserves.

Everything should be in writing (signed and notarized) - and it would even be helpful to do an open recording of each member speaking about their understanding of the group purpose, dynamic, rolls and responsibilities.

A BUNCH OF DRAMA ensued and after that I declared I would never rent to a tenant with a criminal record again. 

The hottest day on record was back in 1936 when air conditioning did not exist.If my Google research powers are correct, the average rent for a two-bedroom is around $2,000 a month.

Since I've been a EFT/stock/dividend guy since I entered my working years, I wanted to try to do a comparison to see just how much value switching to real estate would propel me to be able to 1. retire earlier, and 2. retire wealthier.

Also, is it illegal for me to look at public court records online to see if she had previous evictions?

Then have them cross reverence the data with local tax records to find the owner info.