FYI: I also run three of the largest real estate investor groups on LinkedIn with over 20,000 combined members.  

If we decide to make an offer, is it possible to either 1.) make the sellers put the full price of repairs in escrow (even though the other unit holders will benefit from the improvement); or 2.) make the offer contingent upon the condo association putting a certain dollar amount in escrow to handle the repairs; or 3.) do a combination of 1 and 2 saying that if all of the owners don't put a certain dollar amount in escrow by a certain date then the sellers pay the full amount of forfeit the deal?

@Wenhao Leu, I do plain 30 year fixed loans using combinations of subject property rental income, asset-depletion-as-income, and helping folks like you get honest with the IRS for a year, on a fairly regular basis.

Those states seeing an increase include: Delaware: foreclosure starts jumped 113%Arizona: +76%Utah: +63%Connecticut: +50%Oregon: +20%South Carolina: +3%Massachusetts: +3%Virginia: +3%Of the 1,713 counties analyzed with foreclosure starts in July, 36 percent posted year-over-year increases, including Maricopa County (up 43 percent); Prince George’s County, Md.

I have been in the construction business since I was 17 including those college years.  

I don't buy properties that require an HOA and the utilities are always covered by the tenant.So if I have a market that has 3B/@B homes for $100K the 1% figure I like to apply only tells me that the rent needs to be around $1000/month.When I find properties that fit that criterium, all the other important aspects start coming into play, but all the properties that don't meet the 1% are out.These other criteria include things like the quality of the schools, the distance to restaurants and shopping, the crime rate in the area, the stability of tenants, meaning how long are typical lease agreement.

Other options might include: getting an unsecured personal loan to cover the $20k, persuading a friend or family member to loan me the money, or cobbling together the money from random sources like credit card convenience checks and maybe a Lending Club loan.Problem is, while my credit is good and I have a decent amount of cash to work with, my income is low-ish and comes from four (!)

Since committing to this goal of becoming a successful real estate investor, I have found several helpful resources to include BiggerPockets.com (via Podcasts).

However if I bring back up to market conditions I would net about 30k but would have to invest an additional $6k to not including carrying cost.

I don't wish to include personal credit or income as a factor in getting financing.Any suggestions?