Can you offer non-refundable earnest money, etc to show you have "skin in the game" and are serious?

Biggest requirement with rehab loans - skin in the game, a good deal and a decent credit score to boot.

When all goes well things are good. 10 years ago, Investors enjoyed working with good wholesalers who would actively scout the properties desired and do all of the leg work.Over time, the ability to get involved with little or no skin in the game, the ability to make a lump sum of money quickly, and a plethora of bad information made available by people who were only after the disposable income of those who really did not have enough money to get involved in higher level RE took a good tool and exploited it.Wholesalers exploiting undereducated layman (someone who does this exclusively for a living is operating as an Agent with no licensing issues to restrain them or cause them to disclose expert status), using a lot of really distasteful tactics (like trying to wholesale deals already on the MLS, co wholesaling through a string of folks) and getting greedier and greedier as they went....That's where the stink came from. 

But I also know that I need to eventually put some skin in the game and can’t wait forever.

My main goal is to just get some skin in the game by the end of 2022 and purchase my first property.

But it seems like to me you have it backwards…it is usually the buyer who puts up the down payment… that is your “skin in the game”.  

That way they have skin in to pay their rent, I get long-term cap gain rate if they buy and I can exchange if I want to.  

They have more skin in the game then you do.Make sure you get clear title.

Most lenders are hesitant to give you financing with no skin in the game for the first deal. 

Fresh out of college and I'm looking to get my skin in the game in residential real estate investing.