Most of the posts that I read sound like you should be a real estate agent to find the deals.

And in the case of imposing rent increase limits, I wouldn’t be surprised for the city’s landlords to make a HUGE jump in rent prices immediately before the measure goes into effect.

They are structurally sound but definitely need cosmetic work inside and out.

Sounds pretty good, but I’m unsure of what questions I should ask a broker to confirm they have the ability to benefit my long term goals, and not only their own.

Sounds like a prime market.

We have some other friends who are going to invest for our initial down payment plus our own money that we are going to put in.We need some suggestions on what a loan from a private investor might look/sound like?

Sounds like you're trying to put the cart before the horse.

My answer is going to sound like I'm being a smart aleck, but I own real estate in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, China, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Sweden, Canada, and Germany.

Unless he is very close to you he will probably charge more in interest than a bank so if you qualify for a traditional loan that would probably be more cost effective. 

That sounds scary for investors in that area.