Not sure if that is still legal or even translates in today's world of everything online but seemed like a good screening tool to me at the time. 

After many years of listening to BP/Real Estate Podcasts, reading, and building up my finances, I believe there’s no better time than now to finally jump into the real estate world.

Welcome to the world of real estate investing!

Just focusing on the passive income you want to achieve will leave you chasing cash flow which will have you buying properties in worse areas with harder tenancies that seem to cash flow better, but will have large cap ex.Any time someone asks a question about where to invest and it can be anywhere, they aren't ready to invest and are opening themselves up to every pitch in the world on an area.

I am new to the real estate and wholesale world in MA.

While we here on BiggerPockets certainly have financial goals in mind, local populations all over the world have an opposite and opposing one. 

Quote from @Aaron Raffaelli: As the title suggests, I am just starting to enter the REI world.

You have a couple of choices.Invest elsewhere in the world.

The ability to get funding in just a few days can make a world of difference, allowing investors to act quickly and lock in the best opportunities.I’m curious, in your experience, what strategies have you found most effective for building strong relationships with reliable direct lenders?

Having both licenses, opened my eyes to both worlds.