I think the biggest roadblock has been the lack of true testimonials of successful people in these programs.  

Very true.

Now investors, especially the newbies, are chasing returns by going after higher risk investments - many NOT really understanding the true risks.Many more investors will be losing money and choosing to liquidate real estate - which will be buying opportunities for the better prepared investors.

Investors like me are left sifting through overpriced junk instead of finding real opportunities.This has always been true.

That’s not true.

While it's true I don't necessarily trust the pricing software algo, I really like the ease of accessing the data.

But the inverse is also true.

I just listed my last property for sale, a fourplex in Pocatello, because now I focus more on commercial RE and syndications to be a true passive investor and not deal with tenants and repairs.

I don't think that's true.  

. :)We definitely want to invest in true vacation rentals as well but this will be a good learning process with not as much risk to start.