@Lionel Miller, hi and welcome to BP.As with any business/investment venture, priority #1 should be to establish a goal and measurable steps to achieve it. 

They explained that if something happened at one property, a separate llc for each property protects you from losing your portfolio.

The former loses money when the deal doesn't work out, the latter still gets paid. 

Of course, I'd rather be making money instead of losing money each month.

We will work together to overcome limiting mind sets, create long & short term goals and actionsteps to achieve them, create a vivid vision of what we want our lives to look like and become, we will be able to encourage and hold one another accountable as we embark on our new business ventures.

The popular destinations seem to beCleveland, OhioCincinnati, OhioDayton, OhioToledo, OhioYoungstown, OhioCincinnati, OhioMemphis, TennesseeSaint Louis, MissouriIndianapolis, IndianaDetroit, MichiganErie, PennsylvaniaLouisville, KentuckyMilwaukee, WisconsinJackson, MississippiCleveland is the market I am most familiar with so if you venture down that path you'll want to check out The Ultimate Guide to Grading Cleveland Neighborhoods. 

Will you lose most deals; probably, but there’s more downside to not being honest upfront with the seller.

Since originally applying, I have hooked up with a partner who will own 50% of an LLC we are creating for this joint venture.

Don’t even know if we’d be able to walk away without losing the earnest money.

Fyi - The best apprentice I have ever had.We are building a team of professionals, to bring unique value to all projects.Looking forward to meeting you and how you may contribute to this new venture here.Cheers,Jeffrey BaxterOnegoodcarpenter.com