Unless you have some sort of subject matter expertise or access to an unfair advantage (cheap labor, ways to source off market deals, etc.), index funds are likely to provide an equal or better return with a MUCH lower hassle factor and more liquidity.

The pro development and affordable housing advocates use the term NIMBY, but I suspect it is the rare person that buys in a single family zoned area that would be thrilled to have 17 units (qp16 additional units added) in the lot next to them.My initial protege was the land source on this effort.  

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

@Dwight HenningRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

For most, this isn't a realistic option so they update some of the most important regions themselves and copy the data from other providers where they don't have coverage.This is a big problem with these big consumer-grade real estate analytics platforms—you don't really know the source of that data, its frequency, etc.

Like others have said, you need to find alternative lead sources to find a decent deal.

I’ve worked across various sectors of real estate, from residential to commercial properties, and I’ve built a solid foundation in sourcing, evaluating, and negotiating deals.Currently, I am leading R&H Capital, a division of my LLC, Property Pulse LLC, which focuses on raising capital for real estate acquisitions.

Let me know how it works out with them, wondering if they are a reliable source.

I'm looking for a new source of investors who are in the business of funding these deals.  

Lenders desperately need/want business especially in this interest rate environment (right now, the main source of mortgage loan business in Florida is rehab financing as a result of the hurricane damages) and one way the big players differentiate themselves is by streamlining the process.