Females are understandably more cautious about a shared space so all of my renters have been male.  

Be cautious of programs promising quick fixes.5.

Also be cautious as to HOA that has large percentage of STR they are all banning, fining, and there are license fees (extra taxes). 

I however think there are ways, if someone has the funds...to go about it in a cautious way, while following the rules.

Meaning if you have a FT W2 job AND 1099 side work AND real estate, they already know you’re not a full time real estate professional IN THE CASE YOU GET AUDITED. if you don’t, then all is well.Unless your spouse is a FT realtor and actually putting in the time, then I would tread cautiously and speak with your CPA.

They will be very cautious as to who they lend money to, and you should be very cautious of who you allow to lend money to you. 

If I were you, I would be cautious.

That has me quite cautious.

I was thinking I should be cautious working with a RE agent who invests in the same type of property that I am looking for (ie. multifamily properties, which is what I'm looking for), as they might find a great deal and keep it for themself, and I can't blame them for that! 

I see there's a wide range of thinking out there on this issue.I'll add that I'm being especially cautious right now because I am in the middle of cleaning up an apartment that is a total mess from a tenant that recently left after I non-renewed them for a variety of issues, none of which were indicated by the prior landlord of five years who gave a positive review (which is making me double down on the prior landlord contact, though that is proving very elusive to find).I have watered the requirements down a bit to basically require 2 of 3 main points: 1 - income 3x the rent (and provable), 2 - current and prior landlord contacts with positive reviews, and 3 - funds available now for lease signing and/or strong credit background.