Charlie, you are correct on RESPA as Federal regulation, but finder's fee for unlicensed individuals in real estate is state by state regulation - In California, for example as long as it is diclosed this is legal - "In California, a “finder’s exception,” allowing an unlicensed person to be compensated for introducing parties to a real estate transaction, has been judicially approved since 1923.

The reason im looking there is because I have some family/friends who I can trust to look over stuff for me if needed.

My friend came and said, you should invest in btc, my whole office is.

An investor friend offered me first crack at buying his paid-for 5bd/3ba SFH that appraises for $500k and is currently rented for $3k/month on a 12-month lease.

The new build Homes i recommend are fairly cheap and the HOAs are investor friendly with no restrictions to rent. 

Have a friend list the property with a price or requirement that no one can or will meet, list the property for a couple of weeks then cancel the listing.

You will find a TON of awesome people here on the forums representing our city who are willing to help you along your journey.My biggest suggestion would be to find some local meetups (https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/1211616-virt...) and introduce yourself to the host.

You have to find a property manager whose investor friendly and is good with communication - that's a non-negotiable for me especially when I refer them to my clients here in Columbus Ohio.

Building your team with an investor friendly lender and agent will be a great start and BP can help with that too!

You can also leave the rate the same and introduce some kind of option premium that will make up for the payments.