These investors were looking for Passive income, but they didn’t realize they had to fill the role as an Investment banker and they didn’t have the skill set or systems to do that.  

I frequent the MKE events.Leverage Your Skills: Highlight your project management expertise and strong contractor relationships when negotiating deals.

@Will Zena, this is like 'becoming a millionaire', no money, no skills, no nothing.  

House hacking can also be a solid way to offset expenses early on.It sounds like you're diving in with a great mindset and skill set—being handy and managing yourself puts you ahead of the game. 

Since there are often different entities, there are different skills and systems needed.With that said, I can tell you are definitely better at building systems that I am (I have built up some best practices, but they mostly reside in my head).

Steve in my mind maybe this works for non owner occ investment props only and houses are vacant.. kind of like an OREO Broker works.For owner occ and mom and pop buyers to move in and live.. this simply is a non starter in my mind.. .To be successful at Real estate sales to mom and pops you MUST have some sales skills and closing skills.

For active investing it is also helpful to have some type of advantage that sets you apart from other investors - that could be construction or rehab skills, market knowledge or anything else that gives you an edge.I was an active investor and didn't really have any of those skills.  

I recommend working for someone while you sharpen your skills.

The buying is very low, rents are great and there’s no shortage of tenants. 

I've done some expensive real estate investment training programs in the 1990's and early 2000's that a lot of people complained about, (or even asked for refunds on) yet each time I did these trainings, I learned new skills and strategies that helped me grow my real estate investment business.