There is another STR owner in this community I've talked to, and he's been doing it for 1-2 years and he said it's still been a real pain to deal with. 

That was an excellent non-answer to my question, Skyler. hihi :)No they are not all the same. some are only interested in dealing with conventional purchases other are as you say better at handling assignments or double closes, some are commercial specialty, etc....A investor friendly one would be, at least from my point of view, one that understands there may need to be some last minute wheeling, dealing, and adjustment made to close a deal, understand what needs to be done and do not freak out about creative deals.Maybe my understanding or thoughts are wrong but that's what I meant by investor friendlyregards :) 

One didn't make your list.1) I see people all the time raising money for real estate deals but they call it a partnership either because they are ignorant of the law or they are trying to avoid paying for all the legal work. 

Since you’re already diving into BiggerPockets, focus on clarifying your investment goals (house hacking, multifamily, or BRRRR), building your network with experienced investors and lenders, and most importantly, taking action by analyzing real deals.

Often times someone passes their NMLS test, hangs their license, does a few Fannie/Freddie deals, then tries to get into investor lending.

Appraisals are backed up and on the right timeline of investor deals, every day counts when you need toBeef up the appraised ARV to get a healthier LTV.Hope this helps!

Using spreadsheets is doable but not very scalable depending on how much you're dealing with.  

Quote from @Robert Ellis: Quote from @Damien Davis: Hello BP Community,I'm a rookie investor, only have one deal under my belt (Long term rental) and it's been treating me very well.

I've seen many investors get burned because they failed to understand their hard money loan terms/rates, even if they did acquire what should have been a home run deal. 

I also don't think VRBO cares either.I found them only slightly more pleasant to deal with.