I don't know that I trust other people's "cleanliness" 😅. 

After all, if you can't service them, you could refer them to another agent you trust and earn a portion of the commission.

You can visit the property, contractors, etc where as Detroit will either involve longer travel or trusting someone on the ground when you arent physically there.

(Not at first, if ever.)1st Trust Deed: We only offer purchase money loans in the form of a 1sttrust deed.

I recommend that you find a trusted or recommended Mortgage Loan Originator (MLO), who can give you options for property-based loans (mostly investment loans) and they don't use your taxes but the P&L of the property.

If you have access to someone who is ready to trust you with their asset, do right by the owner and go for it!

I have been investing mainly in trust deeds but like you got connected with Dave and just recently ended up investing in his fund, my primary reason was for diversification and because it is passive. 

Because they have to select EACH of your units for the program (not just your account) and there's no one there that can override this apparently computer generated selection criteria (trust me I've "let me speak to your managered" the hell out of this and gotten nowhere).Another thing that I don't like about Booking is that Ive got to remit taxes on my own.

Other strategies include gifting portions of the property to reduce the taxable estate or exploring more complex options like a Qualified Opportunity Fund or a Charitable Remainder Trust to defer or minimize taxes.

I've used them for setting up real estate Trusts, but that's about it.