Iv e had a partner since i started, my advice would be to find someone is completely 100% opposite from what your strength is.

Take a look at your strengths.

Retail also has its own characteristics and needs to be reinvented every decade or so to remain rentable and competitive.Industrial too is unique and has its own strengths (easier to manage) and cons (longer vacancies).Each type of commercial is going to require a different style and application of management.You should have a light understanding of the type of CRE you would like to own as you head into the market looking for deals.Personally, I prefer industrial because it's an easier asset to manage and I have a lifetime of experience working in this asset class.That said, and as mentioned earlier, if you head into the marketplace searching for a value add situation then you might want to keep your mind open to various types of commercial property.

Give it a little more patience and position yourself with strength as you plan and take your next step. 

Its really not a tremendous expense but that is a strength of their model ( low cost).  

Some 7.5 million households will have lost their homes and nearly all of them have since become renters – many of single-family homes similar to the ones they owned previously: http://www.housingwire.com/articles/34369-moodys-analytics-single-family-rental-growth-will-accelerateApartment Market Strength Continues in Second Quarter With 5% Annual Effective Rent Growth and 95.2% OccupancyAnnual effective rent growth for United States apartments reached 5.0% for the first time in four years, according to early second quarter 2015 numbers from Axiometrics, the leader in apartment market and student housing research and analysis: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2600931The 20 Hottest U.S.

Rates and terms are generally in the 4.5% to 6.5% range or higher depending on the properties, loan amount and borrowers strength.  

Do you have the strength to "Sit" on it for about 3 years?

Partnerships are found throughout this forum and by putting your strengths & goals out there.

Depending on the deal numbers, your actual down payment may be less with a hard money lender because the loan is based off of the strength of the deal.