@Jason Weidmannit's only solid if:1) you pick a market that you can go to in person and build a team first, and 2) you recognize that RE is a long-term investment, and you may have to wait 5-10 years, or longer, before seeing ANY return. 

I purchase my personal investments to maximize their equity and hold long term.

I have a situation where a person I know is moving out of the country and would be looking to put their home for sale in the summer.

I personally think being a landlord in Chicago is easy and I have never had an eviction. 

The cost to repair your vehicle, and perhaps the other person's car, will be WAY MORE than the cost of the insurance premiums you saved by not having insurance. 

The drawback is you need to build trust and relationships upfront.Both have their place, but private money tends to offer more flexibility, while hard money is more structured and accessible if you lack personal connections.

Personally I like the Section 8 program when the property is located in a super poor area with a ton of blight and crime.

If there is a due on sale clause in the loan doc then it doesn’t matter what the loan officer told you verbally.I’m not an attorney, but from my understanding of the loan is still in your name personally a good litigator can pierce the veil and your LLC protection wouldn’t amount to much.

No personal income or tax returns are required.

Quote from @Matthew Crivelli: Personally, I'm not a fan of Air B & B.