What is everyone's favorite form of creative financing (seller finance, subto, etc..) ?

Don't try to build a buyer's list with no experience and no active under contract.

If your realtor is listing it for free and not helping, that's not much help since leaving you to screen tenants and run through leads is like asking you to perform knee surgery, you don't know what you are doing.All rental listings should get bombarded on Zillow Rental Manager and HotPads, etc in the first week so if you have limited activity, your price is either too high or the photos are bad and the copy about the place is bad.Use something like RentSpree from screening.

Here’s why and what alternatives might exist:Real Estate Syndication or Fund: Invest in funds that generate passive rental income, which can offset Schedule E losses.Real Estate Professional (REPS): Qualify for REPS to reclassify rental losses as non-passive, allowing them to offset active income.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

I'm an active-duty military (retiring soon).

What actions and/or credentials make a landlord an active property manager to deem rental income/loss active in CA?

If I were you, I’d consider chatting with a property management firm active in that area...SlateHouse Group’s name comes up in local investor circles now and then...just to get a sense of what rents are really doing on the ground.

Focus on connecting with investors, flippers, and landlords who are actively buying.

Talk to your tax advisor about how to release your passive activity losses based on your situation.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

I would do this first before engaging an agent unless you are extremely active.