The refinance looked like a slam dunk but it wasn't.My lending partner said, sorry the fund managers are still gun shy from 2008, they really, really want the borrower to have some skin in the game in the form of actual cash money that they have put into the deal. 

You two could potentially link up and reduce your skin in the game by working together.

Particularly in the wholesale game word gets around if you are a straight shooter.  

There is also hard money but you will likely need some skin in the game (10-20% down) and this only works for rehab deals.Don't let capital stop you from getting started though.

Listing broker pretty much shut us out, played all sorts of games, and in the end sold the deal to one of his buyers. 

So just research the area and talk to a local RE agent about flood zones when looking cause that could be a game changer for your numbers. 

We’ve had great success listing and managing our own rentals, however I’m aware selling is another ball game.

As even with hardmoney they require some skin the game.

I did work a few years before retiring into the 'you're going to lose it all' REI game.

This allows a lot of house hackers to get in the game, and if the area is strong they may see continued rental appreciation that allows for this cash flow to increase.