This is why you see a lot of the big players that have integrated their rental operations into a property management operation. 

You can do this through REIA meetups, setting up keyword alerts, and just sending messages to active players in your market. 

Also that gray area often gets defined by the player's negotiation skills.  

@Corina Eufinger makes a great point about the polarizing effects your name could have.The positive side of that is that if I'm looking to invest in Austin and I see buyfastAustin I know that you're a dedicated player in the market rather than just a large broker looking to move anything they can. 

The lender's investor is Chase, who he says is enforcing that $1M limit and as a big player their limit is likely a standard.

And it is ideal for the attorney or accountant because it provides not only easy income, and good brand-building, but it also keeps them in touch with what the real players in the market are doing every day.Just a thought.But this vague idea that a new real estate investor should "assemble a team" before starting to invest is ridiculous.It sounds good, but how does it work?  

Lenders take kindly to a good employment record with W2 income, so that's been beneficial.My real estate investing is at the grass roots level, interfacing with tenants and participating as a community player to enhance the livability of our community.

If we add to the fact that the majority of big players in the industry appear to be long standing multi-billion shops who "apparently" scoop up the competition without a breath, then this entire industry appears totally out of reach.It is very common for me to have a conversations with non-real estate professionals who never heard of basic concepts such as "cashflow" or "leverage" specially applied to real estate.

Some larger, national players will offer more "traditional" training.

You need to build relationships which doesn’t happen overnight and get to know who the players are and network.