Signing the lease demonstrates they agree to the terms and then you can hold them accountable.If you don't do this, then the person named on the lease and paying the rent could disappear and you would have no legal authority to charge the remaining three for unpaid rent.

@William Taylor so many options...Use your RE knowledge to: WholesaleFind rental deals to sell to investors locally or here on BPStart leveraging your personal contacts to build your sales businessFind a motivated seller willing to do seller financing:- Move in worst room or basement, rent out all the other rooms for max cashflow- You could even live in the basement and STR the rest of the house

I’m personally based in Houston, TX, and I’ve noticed over the years that a good realtor can do a lot more for an investor than just listing a property.

Personally, I bought a 3 bed single family home soon after starting my job and had two friends from college rent which covered my mortgage plus a little extra.

The key is to identify personal property from real property.

For in person connections try some local real estate meetup groups.

If you are just a plain person they usually must serve you in person. 

This could give you the cash you need for the purchase and also eliminate your personal guarantee for the loans.

@Leslie L Meneus, while the forums can be pretty good, in-person networking and sharing ideas is much more valuable.  

If that person were to get hurt somehow and then expect you to pay the medical bills or become disgruntled in some way it is just a phone call to DOR, OSHA or L&I.