In the sale of a REO in the mls, not on an auction site, yes owner occupants have an exclusive period in many/most cases.

In addition, I would recommend:Listening to the BP money podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshowAttend your local REIA meetings to networkStart analyzing deals to get practiceEngage more on the BP forumsAll the best!

Additionally, you can charge the tenants for any damage done by the animal.

You will need to take additional risk and buy from places like auctions, HUD, Homepath, wholesalers, FSBO, drive-bys, Craigslist, etc. 

If you have positive cash flow on the property (and that's how it shows on your taxes too) Then you can use the cash flow as additional income to qualify for another loan.

In addition to the 6 apartment homes, there are three empty lots being sold with it.

@Jamie Hall  Ask the following questions to all potential brokers (in addition to commission splits, fees, etc.)  1)  Who will be my mentor, what is his/her experience in total # of MF transactions broken into buyers/sellers, how available is he/she, and what expectations (if any) will he/she have in return for advice (beyond commission split)? 

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I know if we were taking out a loan this would not be possible as down payments for investment properties cannot be gifted, I'm not sure what the rules for all-cash purchases are.Since I manage our other investment properties in the area (all under my name), I don't want to put this new property in her name as it will create additional hassle of signing a new contract with our PM, creating new accounts with the utility companies, etc.Thanks in advance for the help!

In addition to the 6 apartment homes, there are three empty lots being sold with it.