i guess that depends on the size of the deal.As far as flipping goes,  how is flipping any different from buying a stock and selling it for profit?

probably, so your money locked up at 6.75% yield while if we get higher inflation causes mortgage rates to rise/cap rates to rise and stocks to rise even faster than RE. 

Sounds like you'd be shifting assets around from stocks, bonds, savings to real estate.

And when it comes to alternative investments - I do invest in index funds, as well as some other stocks and a small amount of crypto.

Did they progress through the lending/collection ranks to hone their crafts, or are they glorified stock brokers that have simply bought and sold paper without really knowing the nuts and bolts of the collection/foreclosure process.

And if there is a conflict the court system will bend over backwards for a dead beat tenant or squatter and hold landlords to a entirely different standard. 

For plans that will pay off later, get into house hacking, save money for a first payment, meet people in local real estate groups and find a mentor, and put money into things that earn without much work like stock index funds or ETFs.

That is over 2/3rds the average long term return on the stock market with absolutely zero risk.  

I mean, it was a scared industry when I first started and still is so why is it dead now? 

Nobody gets excited to invests in the stock market for dividends to fund their life, although thats a really good concept.