A place with parking and a private bath should 850 to 900. 

And you stay legal with time frames, notices, etc etc.

Being flexible in a way that still protects your investment can help build a better relationship.However, if they’re not responsive or don’t show good faith, you might need to take a more formal step, like issuing a notice to pay or quit.

And even within REITs, while most people think publicly traded, you can also get into Private REITs, non-traded REITs, etc.  

No, you’re free to do a private deal.

In order to accumulate the total number of dollars/month you need (notice I didn't say properties), you need to work your way forwards using your equity, buy selling properties that are accumulating equity through appreciation. 

I will have people that expect to rent my nicely renovated 4/3 3000sf with private pool, fenced yard on a lake for $100/night because they saw some other dump a couple blocks down for that price.

You may need to safeguard the collateral, make emergency repairs, pay for legal notices and filings.

You can take it to private massaging if you want to avoid posting about it.

Use private money lenders and choose a conservative market.