Medium term furnished rentals (1-6 months) are perfectly legal, can command a rent premium similar to STRs, and are less management intensive than STRs so you might look into that strategy as well.

I myself resist the temptation to allow myself to deem all Wholesalers as verified conniving get overs with the same intensity that I resist the temptation to accept the narrative that all attorneys are crooks.

The high risk comes from it being a capital intense business.  

The initial set up can be quite intensive but once filled, are a predictable source of cash flow.

Real estate investing is generally a pretty capital intensive thing to get involved in.

This sounds like the story of how my in laws went bankrupt and ended up not being able to retire 🤔.Real estate is a capital intensive business. 

I have always had an intense interest in real estate & would absolutely love to be a full-time real estate investor, but have grown discouraged with the saturated market.

Something that you are really good at, like basketball, poetry, girl watching, working overtime?

It's more labor intensive on my end but the price to drywall these areas seems cheaper than the full electrical quotes. 

It is not capital intensive if you know how to structure it.