I have considered the condo route as well but I am always worried the HOA fees will eat any cash flow and I am also concerned about a large Capital Expense as @John Marshall mentioned then you could be liable for a special assessment fee, or potentially higher HOA fees in the future.

I know of some US based lenders who specialize in lending to Canadians.  

Do you have any investor specials?

Here you will meet wholesalers who provide deals and all the cash buyers (rehabbers) you will need.You might consider Niche or Specialized Housing like student housing.

Here you will meet wholesalers who provide deals and all the cash buyers (rehabbers) you will need.You might consider Niche or Specialized Housing like student housing.

What we had done, what we want to do, and our long term goals.A special thanks to @Daniel Ryu  (in the red hat) for taking notes and emailing a summary of what we discussed."

Hello everybody,I Thinking about contacting a guy in Oakland who apparently specializes in brokering apartment deals in Oakland.

That being said, you'll have a hard time getting it at retail (MLS, working with a realtor that does not specialize in investments).  

Hello--I only own one rental property, but also live on the other side of the duplex, so those are my special circumstances that may not apply to you. 

I am in the process of working through a short sale transaction.My real estate agent, who I have come to know pretty well, asked me to call the county and city assessors office to verify whether there are any "special assessments" on the property.