That said - I think a simple muitual fund would give me better returns on the same money ($900k) at 8-12% (i.e., $72k - $108k). 

but you also will make your most money from the investment through appreciation.When you were looking for property for OOS investment, it needs to be in a market that has the right type of landlord tenant laws.

Traditional bank loans can be slow and have strict requirements, while hard money and private lending seem to offer more flexibility.For those who’ve secured funding before, what’s been your experience?

In fact many homes with too high of an occupancy are leaving money on the table.  

It should go without saying, but I do understand when you're new to real estate expectations can be out of line with reality --- if you finance 100% of a deal you will not see any money out of the deal for many years and will be putting money in for many years.

Flipping houses is a great way to create huge profits, raise private money and create marketing content around your remodels (the reason HGTV is HGTV).

All together around 80k worth of money invested.

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

And that can cost you time and money.

.: Most Hard money likely will not be interested due to owner occupancy (OO).