Computer or Smartphone, an internet connection, a blank Purchase and Sales Agreement, and Assignment Contract, an investor friendly title company or lawyer(depending on which one your state uses for closings), a bank account..

Crowdfunding is essentially old-school syndications that use newer regulations that allow them to market over the Internet. 

I accidentally found an apartment on the internet buy the building next to me in my old neighborhood.

You don't see the CIO of an endowment putting their sponsors on blast for the entire internet to see (at least that I know of).  

The internet and video calls make the world pretty small! 

It's better than what you'll get from most attorneys and what you'll find on the internet.

You resort to the internet.

You are on the internet too much and not talking to real-life real estate investors enough.

There is nothing they do that you can't find for free on the internet. 

Quote from @Andy Port: I'm currently looking to take some money out of traditional investments and begin investing directly into real estate as a passive investor on syndicated deals.The internet is pretty much copy-paste with advice on how to access real estate and defaults to saying "Just invest in a REIT - its the same" except you pay for the entire pool of existing properties (even if they have low yields in less opportunistic areas), the entire management team's multi-million dollar salary and their private jet, etc...