Above those two, scheduling and time blocking are usually where people are failing.

if there's a market you're considering investing in, you should go there in person, walk around, go to meetups, take people out for coffee and ask them questions. 

Quote from @Chris Seveney: @Zach EdelmanBe clear BP does not recommend companies - companies pay to advertise on BP and while BP I assume vets them - it’s still buyer bewareI am not an employee of BP but I want people to understand on BP and on most sites there are sponsors and affiliates but they may not be thoroughly vetted.

Quote from @Jake Hughes: Whats up BP community.What professional photographers are people using to market their rehabbed properties?

When my contractor went without me they kept him waiting over 2 hours then told him something completely inaccurate and they take no accountability for how they can literally destroy peoples lives and finances.

Why I am leery of these "creative" things for people with little to no money

I'm not sure how experienced you are in the real estate world but one thing to remember when you are getting into RE investing is to have your team of people or as Brandon Turner from the Bigger Pockets Podcast calls it your CORE 41.

I look forward to meeting amazing people in this community!!

Renting to people that aren't friends can be great, but also, one tenant can make everyone's lives miserable, so that's why I start with short leases in the beginning. 

Find the lender who knows a lot of people.