Which option would you choose based on your experience and why?

Continuously educate yourself through books, podcasts, and videos, such as BiggerPockets Podcast and YouTube channels.

Many investors from California are choosing to invest in the Midwest because of the low barrier to entry and yearly cash returns making more sense in these lower priced markets.

It is a minor expense to get more completed applications to choose from.Is it just you?

But if you are asking opinions, and receive them from people who have lived through it, and still choose to charge forward because the guru's voice is louder, well, that is on them.  

That said, on any given day, any of the three types of lenders can compete well on interest rates and fees if they choose to.

It even comes with training videos

Now, let's break that down…- A median single family home is $543,000 (up 2% from last year)- A median townhome is $377,000 (Down 5% from last month so appreciation has slowed down significantly here: https://tmls.stats.10kresearch.com/infoserv/s-v1/IFbq-ZfR)More quick stats:- Homes went for 1% under asking, indicative of a less competitive market typical of fall- ⅓ of homes experienced at least one price drop- Homes sat about 21 days on market- Sellers has 10 showings before going pending- There are about 3,100 homes for sale, which is up 10% over last yearWe continue to see more options to choose from, more flexibility from sellers, and cyclical dips in prices across the board.

Despite paying a substantial fee, I found that beyond basic instructional videos and repetitive weekly calls, there was little substance to aid my learning.

As you learn go to meet ups, try to network/glean from experienced people and listen to podcasts/videos.