I went to 35-40+ different markets a year each year from 2014-2016 to scope out places to lend privately.

Somehow they bury bad reviews on google with great reviews.For clarity, I own DealMachine (not batchleads... totally different companies).

So the idea of doing this all from afar is a bit daunting, however, I know the most important thing here will be to create a great team and outsource as much as possible.I have set my sights on a couple of different markets being in the Southeast and the Midwest; these markets seem to provide the cash flow I am initially interested in generating to value add to the properties I purchase.

That would be different than say a place that someone famous lived in for some time.

I would probably start with something different for your first property.  

i noticed though that the strategies you proposed are very different... an STR is a hospitality business and syndication is (in theory) at least somewhat passive.my main tip in getting started is not to rush into anything. 

So, when investing in areas they don’t really know, investors should research the different property Class submarkets.

Multi family properties on the other hand tend to be more lucrative with numbers, especially if you are open minded to different strategies.   

A main difference I noticeably experience is who the merchant of record is.Best of luck with your listings!

I have heard it used different ways.I have used a version of gap funding where the hard money lender funds 85% of the flip (purchase + renovation) and the gap funder funds 10% of the deal.