Quote from @Ran-D Baldwin: There's more than one way to skin a cat.

To me, a client having skin in the game doesn’t count when it’s materials delivered to their house.

It just made the whole process easier knowing I had someone I could lean on that also had skin in the game. 

I am thick skinned

Another strategy you can use is to find a partner thats willing to put their own skin into the property.

I have noticed that properties with more than 1 unit typically produce more cashflow, so here's what I have an interest in:Mobile / Manufactured Homes - This would be a great way to get started as they are cheap and would get me started and some skin in the game.

If you are unfamiliar with the process you should do it through a title co, escrow, attorney or whoever does closings in your state.As a lender myself I have to say there is a reason the lender (bank) wants to see you personally come up with the cash down payment ... borrowers need to have skin in the game ... the truth is many borrowers (not you) aren't motivated to get up in the morning to complete the project if they don't have anything to lose. 

As you mention, driving down to meet potential applicants with effectively no skin in the game is a recipe for no shows and lost time. 

Also, taking a close at the financials and how they will cover DSCR, what's the refinance period (this is the risk that scares me the most), amount of leverage, how much skin in the game is being provided by the sponsor, a sensitivity analysis on the worst case scenario that you can live with....along with a stress test (i.e., how long can they stay solvent if things turn to crap and tenants stop paying rent). 

So if you can find short term financing to get you through that then you might not need any cash, that said, having no skin in the game comes with it's own set of challenges.