You just have to get in the game, learn, and adapt as you go. 

Cash flow is a sucker's game.

Game changer.

Throw in some washers and dryers in the units—it's a game-changer.

They used that period of unemployment to skip paying student loans and then try to get some kind of program/hardship deferral or something aka "gaming the system".

Negotiating felt like a game of chess—except I was playing against a grandmaster, and my queen was missing.

Focus on what the rents will look like post-renovation with 4 units instead of 2, and have a clear game plan for refinancing to pull your capital back out. 

Compare that to Phoenix where I had been to a game just one month earlier.

What neighborhood are you purchasing in?  I

The collateral is so so and some have preferences such as certain asset classes they will invest in, but generally speaking, you can obtain an equity deal with very little skin in the game.