Just because a technique for acquiring or earning money is popularized by gurus and practiced unethically by the gurus students does not mean that the technique itself is a scam, unethical, immoral, or that the participants aren’t honest.   

I'd love to utilize their expertise when assessing a property since they are local but I'm not sure what the general expectation is when I don't have a tangible property and I have not entered into contract to work with them yet.Some questions I have are: local regulations/permitting timeline, property's potential from their perspective, landscaping/amenities cost estimate (they also help facilitate this).

Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice.

They have rules and best practices about how we put these deals together which has collectively saved us from much of the pain being experienced right now in the multifamily space. 

I’m now venturing into new opportunities to expand my expertise and grow my portfolio.I joined BiggerPockets to connect with like-minded individuals, share insights, and learn from the incredible wealth of knowledge this community offers.

You put up the money, they lend you their expertise.

This thing has GIANT holes in it but also some out-right illegal practices, like giantly illegal.

These tools are much easier to use than QB (even for those of us with QB expertise). 

Without reserves, they might be unable to evict tenants or prepare the units once they are vacant.Great points—walking the property and speaking with tenants during due diligence is a practice we now prioritize, along with running tenant histories through eviction databases.

I self-manage, but I understand that's not a practical option for most people.