Also I’m curious, though: do you have strategies you rely on to keep projects on schedule, especially with contractors?

The course heavily relies on cold calling and emailing, which hasn't been effective for me as a novice.I'm considering a different approach, such as arbitrage, as it seems more accessible for a beginner.

In the end, it’s usually more profitable than relying on a home warranty.

Those I know in this deal are elderly, unsophisticated with trust deed investing, and relied upon Capella’s supposed due diligence.

On the sale side of the equation I rely on 3rd party sales agents for my housing geared towards owner occupants.

Try using the BiggerPockets "Market finder" and see where that brings you and then just talk with agents in the market you pick and narrow down these options by relying on market local contacts to guide you.

For those that rely on traditional methods and personal experience, I can understand this perspective.

I am a fan of utilizing equity in existing real estate owned to build the rental portfolio though at the beginning, rather than just relying on money saved alone.  

Can we hear from individuals who have experienced sustained success buying section 8 rentals while relying on entirely 3rd party service providers? 

@Mike Dymski, in my experience raising institutional capital early in my career, I would disagree about "following a sponsor" for years, and actually many of the deal level analytics (a majority of institutional investors invest in funds not deals), but your point is generally correct.Ultimately, what I see a lot on these forums is that a lot of people are relying on the investment manager to also educate them on macro economic conditions, which will always carry a natural bias towards their types of offerings.