Its hard to find deals unless you are connected, advertise a lot, cold call a lot, knock a lot, and/or work very hard at it. 

It’s going to private markets—real estate, funds, and direct investments.Smart investors will pull money out of the stock market and put it into hard assets.And that’s where the real opportunity is.

And seller's Realtors had to really work hard to push their client's properties out there to the public and prospective buyers.Now, I find all they do is list your place on the MLS and sit back and wait for a call.

Here’s a breakdown of the main ways investors fund their first deal while minimizing their own cash outlay:1.Private Money & Hard Money Loans– These lenders focus more on the deal than on your personal finances.

Hard money is pretty common.

With conventional financing becoming more restrictive, real estate investors may turn to hard money loans for acquisitions and rehab projects.

Banks don't lend so little on traditional mortgage and hard money lenders don't go there , so no option for average Joe to get a qualified mortgage or for Jim the Handyman to finance it.

Hard money, private money, joint ventures, even lines of credit secured against existing assets—there’s a ton of capital out there looking for strong operators.

Let brokerage grow, tenants pay down mortgage, and save up for another property organically (Cons - slow growth, waisting equity// Pros - low risk)2) Cash out the $300k brokerage account, pay off the townhouse, start cash-flowing $2,400/mo, and save up for new investment or 1031 into multi family(Cons - cap gains tax on cash out, high Oregon income tax penalty, hard to find deals being $2,400 monthly cash flow) // Pros- cash flow, increased leverage into large investment)3) Cash out $300k brokerage and put into separate Multi Fam property, hoping for $2,400/mo+ cash flow, keep townhouse rented as is (Cons - cap gains tax on cash out, not utilizing equity PROs - increase portfolio value, higher upside with value add or rent increase on new units?)

Have a hard money lender ready in case you need them.