You won't find a deal where you live for free, but if you can live in a great neighborhood at a reduced cost of living that is a nearly risk free way to get started in real estate. 

Anyone in business takes risks, but a lawsuit and some other things don't look great.

Personal Circumstances: Consider your comfort level with debt and risk.

One great thing about fix and flip loans is that there is no early payoff penalty, so the original lender's commission is not at risk!

I've asked BiggerPockets users for examples of when their investments were protected by umbrella insurance, and I haven't found any examples so far.There are legal risks for landlords, but they are dramatically exaggerated.

If you register but do not have a registered agent they can often serve you by publication, or perhaps by serving the Secretary of state or any of several ways that might result in you not knowing that you have been sued. 

There are several free videos you could watch, and you can get information on the training that they have as well.

Similarly, if you put several Class D tenants in a Class A 4-plex, what do you think will happen to the property?

There are several options for skip tracing to find phone numbers and email addresses.

Hey John,I work with several different property managers, which I refer to for my clients (I'm an investor friendly agent over here).