@Peter AmendolaYeah, that is such a scam in my book… 1 month’s rent as a fee!  

This seems to be the scam du jour lately and there is no such thing.

I am even wondering if you are being scammed. 

However, taxpayers who can show that the time they devote to real estate activities is insubstantial compared to the time devoted to their normal occupation may be able to preserve capital gain treatment, despite some frequency in sales.

If they are legit on section 8 and not scamming the gov't, they will not qualify even if you accept it. 

As Steve said, most are unfamiliar with lease options or, worse, see them as an evil scam. 

I've just finished reading the popular books (The book on Rental Property Investing, Long-distance Real Estate Investing, etc.) and I'm ready to start investing out of state with $100,000.I want to buy homes with cash, but I want to make sure I don't lose money from getting scammed.

I got him legitimately ESA verified through my doctor (no scam websites) because I have been diagnosed with multiple emotional disorders which he legitimately helps me with. 

Are there any fb groups for local investors that are not filled with scams and actually have a good deals passing through?

Having used both, I would have to say that Buildertrend, unless you devote lots of time and training can be very slow and clunky.