Deal 1: 4 Plex (it's stripped down to studs, a guy ran out of money on the rehab)Purchase price 160k, Rehab 80k, Total all in: 240kExpected Rent: $4,000/month to $4,400/month depending on how quickly we want to rent the units out. 

I had no idea they would decline me for MY OWN MONEY technically.   

Quote from @Sofia Komrskova: Don't spend that kind of money on courses.

This is true for all private money lending situations..

Just make sure you are saving towards those slow months during the peak months, buy a deal at the right price (don't overpay just because its a turnkey STR or you think it will make more money than projected), and look into ways to increase bookings during those slow months with some marketing and operation tweaks. 

Real estate investing is forgiving; the average person can still make money even with some big mistakes.

Yet RentRedi would bill me anyway and I would have to request this money back. 

@Chinku Chinku the rich get rich by making their money work for them.They borrow at one rate, to invest in something that returns a higher rate - they profit on the difference.Only you can evaluate your risk tolerence though.

My Expensive Lesson)My first rental with REI Nation turned into an absolute money pit.

Spend your time and money learning how to avoid that kind of situation rather than learning from on the job training.