As someone who has coordinated 40+ deals in last 18 months for clients, I can tell you that the hardest piece of the puzzle is the property, the opportunity. 

So, there must be a way to do this properly, as they must be doing it.

They instead lack the skill to do a proper bid.

For house hacking, ensure rental and personal use are properly allocated for deductions.

The important part is operating it properly. 

Or they could never get to the latter, because they never had the beginning characteristics which include the former to develop properly. 

@Nathan Harden- agree about OH ....I went to school at Miami U and lived in columbus area for a few yrs  ...many friends that still live there ......I live in Seattle proper ( near  Magnusson Park ...also  own  2  properties in Mason County ......father in law lives on  close to 10 acres close to downtwon Medina so we will be dealing with  figuring out the  best thing to do with this  as he gets  older ( he is  83 now) ...stay in touch

Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal level Learn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are needed Know everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

Using a GC you will have less headaches as you'll have one point of contact and they will coordinate schedules between the various trades. 

My goal is for the foundation of my company to be solid and to grow properly.