We first reached out to originators for Freddie and Fannie and were told that the deal looked great and we should be able to get the following terms:-Non recourse loan, 80% ltv-30 year amortization-10 year fixed rate-4.25-4.5% interest rate-Interest only payments for the first two yearsFreddie has since come back and passed on the deal due to our market being too small and the age of the property (1984).

I've spoken to two lenders who advised that they require that the mortgage be in my name.

nope, these two actually have the documented ability to make the payments at a reasonable debt-to-income ratio.I'm coming up with ballpark $345k/mo PITI (my homeowner's insurance assumption might not be accurate, I didn't pull the actual property tax bill, and I don't know if there is an HOA so I left it at $0).

Account Closed, there are tons of sources for this.First, I would listen to BP Podcast # 229 with Zeona McIntyre (if you have not already), she speaks to her success with short term rentals, and discusses how she found her properties.Next, I know of two sources that I use for research:1. 

Then air the place out for a day or two. 

Two keywords are loans and partners.

Yes, there are two REIA' s in Birmingham. 

Zero experience in real estate, but in searching for our first home we came across a two-family home and decided to go for it!  

Two of the tenants have been there 7 and 10 years.

Inadequate access to direct sunlight for solar energy systems constitutes a practical difficulty in the third bullet point above.www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/zoni...