Sure, you can make a few quick trades, but the playground monitors (a.k.a. the law) might notice, and you’ll miss out on the bigger opportunities and loyal customers.So, while skipping the license might seem easier, it’s not the best way to win at the toy game in the long run.I have this talk with 10-15 people each month at our Free Meetups here in MA, NH, and ME.

With regard to renovations, I always suggest taking incremental steps to bigger renovations or partnering with someone who has already done a renovation at that level.I've been known to just go for the big rehabs for my personal investments here in Chicago , and during that process, it's always more stressful than it needs to be...As far as navigating the competition, I've found the best thing I can do is get EXTREMELY CLEAR  on what I am looking for; then I am confident pulling the trigger quicky. 

@Richard Welcome to Bigger Pockets!!

The time saved on seeing that bigger picture is worth it to me.

If this is not something you're interested in delving into and learning to a high degree, then investing in publicly traded REITs would be another good option for you, which have historically returned about 13.5 per cent Per year over the past 50 years (1977-present), beating the US stock market by two per cent and even beating private real estate investing by 4 per cent (that's compared with the average real estate investor, not the experts here at Bigger Pockets).

Welcome to Bigger Pockets!

If appreciation and scalability are your long-term goals, consider house hacking or saving for a bigger market later.

Or sometimes a bigger downpayment gives you a better rate.

Would cash-flow very little.Obviously, a combination of the above is possible (pre-sell all but a few units, nullifying the profits, and therefore taxation).My feeling is that the first option would allow me to use profits to build something bigger (e.g., acquire another plot). 

They have never purchased a house themselves or flipped a property, but they look great on Instagram/Youtube and here in Bigger pockets, too.