✅ Demonstrate that you are a good person to work with.Be responsive, transparent, and friendly.

Quote from @Nathan Frost: Hi, I have friends saying there are lenders that do 5% down. 

Once you have a good understanding of what you can afford, reach out to your landlord in a friendly and casual way.

There are opinions on these forums and people have a right to them and people may take it as criticism. real estate is not a business where everyone is friendly and just as you have shown from whoever was trying to scam you and has nothing to do with doing your best, its about being educated before moving forward. 

You’ll also want to know how they handle rent collection and late payments and if they can provide references from other investors they work with.A good investor-friendly agent should have a strong network of professionals like contractors, inspectors, and lenders to help with your investments.

Focus on factors like affordability, growth potential, demand, and landlord-friendly regulations to guide your decision.Good luck!

So, it's either get your real estate license or have a really good friend who will list them for you who wants to look them up (but most agents don't know what they are doing and do it wrong).

Drue, looking at your family friend’s property, there’s definitely some room to maneuver here.

Another good strategy is to connect with a local property manager that does real estate sales, or can refer to an investor-friendly agent. 

You don’t have to be aggressive about it but maintaining friendly contact can go a long way.