For instance, I have considered trying to take up an analyst role at a REIT another RE company that ideally looks at large apartment complexes so that I can see how those deals come together on a large scale.

Any time you involve additional partners into an investment there can be many more complications, but on the flip side you have the ability to scale much faster and leverage more resources.

Economies of scale.

Just open another carpet manufacturing business.

I'm using "customer" to define Investors and Custom Design Build Home Buyers.I realize this falls into Marketing and I also think its critical to scaling the business.

@Jonathan Bombaci What manufacturer of modular homes were you looking at?

I thought that I had confirmed prior to purchase that I would be able to remotely set up scheduled guest codes but I checked with the lock manufacturer and I should have also checked with the hub software.

Just because you are doing something on a small scale with people you know it does not excuse you from following the regulations.

If you're doing rentals at scale prepare to own a few. 

So you need 1) hustle and/or systems and/or network to find a "deal," however you define that (based on education and networking within your market), 2) knowledge and the ability to sell yourself as a buyer to the seller to lock it up, and then 3) hustle and/or systems and/or network to find a buyer.In essence, you will have to bust your butt to find a good deal and bring it to an investor who is reliable to close, otherwise you will may be out of your deposit and can tarnish a relationship and potentially your reputation (granted, likely on a limited scale).