A BIG advantage to finding business is your SOI (Sphere Of Influence) aka people you know.

There’s no privacy advantage any more with the new federal registration law, there’s no tax advantage, and there’s probably no liability advantage.

I also met a few investors who live in Texas at recent real estate conference - the advantage living there there's no state income tax and they're able to make the numbers work even with higher property taxes.

Cash flow not a priority as much as tax advantage and reducing my active W2 income.

Unfortunately, there are many who take advantage of someone starting out, so what should I keep an eye out for when looking for a private money lender?

Take advantage of these connections, learn more, and then take action. 

there is an advantage to being hands on when you start. 

I have no interest in trying to take advantage of them, I just don't want the aggravation of maintenance jobs.

Im thinking if I create a unique listing on Airbnb (After I live in this for a year to meet the VA loan requirements) I can create a competitive advantage by having such a unique property and demand a higher price per night as well as keep the occupancy up.2.

Can obviously mitigate access to the property by disabling the code if using a smart lock, but other than that, are there any advantages/disadvantages that you've seen?