I can certainly see those scenarios playing out as they have many times in my experience. 

They simply took a play out of the Santarelli and Fossum financial fraud playbook and promised 25% annual returns to investors.Unfortunately for those investors, by late 2022, investors stopped receiving payments and were literally “re-upped” or re-solicited by Lopez and Mehr for more money to help them avoid bankruptcy.

I don't play around with other people's money.As for sticking to Gilbert or checking out other cities around Phoenix, I'm doing my best to look at every city. 

I always play it straight on loan applications for they can be enforced for 10 years from signing. 

Yes, having tenants pay ACH via a Tenant Portal software is best, but not all will cooperate and some will play games that result in NSF charges.We allow tenants to deposit cash/check/money order directly at our bank into our account.Many Class C & D tenants have challenges adapting to unfamiliar ways to pay and is often not worth the hassle (and possible evictions) to get them to change:(

Lease options are another play, where you rent a place with the right to buy later, sometimes using part of your rent toward the price.

I wouldn't focus singularly on individual city initiatives/projects and would recommend focusing more on fundamentals.

Lost in all of this has been the significant role technology now plays in listing and selling real estate.

Seems like you are looking for a passive income play. 

Yes you partner with them on the individual deal but you get the reps in to become better at watching a deal from start to finish.