The frustrations and boredom are what will drive you to strive for more. 

very tough loans to get and going down the loan broker rabbit hole is frustrating as you are describing.for me there is only one way.. and that is Community banks.. 

If a renter can come up with three-months worth of cost, they can probably afford to buy a starter home.

It was a grant once upon a time but they do have some rental restrictions with them such as a rented to affordable housing candidates for an x amount of time. 

Does almost everything and is affordable.

Best bet for you and them is for them to find a more affordable arrangement.

Even with 20% down on a 4-500k house you can earn 15% or more plus appreciation and depreciation.With multifamily or mixed use even more.I hate to be negative but this deal is ok if you own $100m of real estate already and can afford the risk, not for someone starting out or even mid level, including myself.

I'm over in Telluride and the Town is using STRs as a scapegoat for all of the affordable housing issues the town ignored for years.

I live in Los Angeles, CA and looking just outside of the main city to find properties that  are a little more affordable.

Matt, searching for an agent to help you with your real estate investments can be frustrating for sure.