@Sam Smith,It sounds to me as if you recognize that no investment has "zero" risk.That said, you can buffer yourself against risks and minimize your exposure.My (RE) investing group has buy-and-hold investors, rehabbers and fix-and-flippers who will offer a first lien position with 12% to 20% interest for short-term funds (acquisition of property, repairs, holding costs during the marketing of the property after repairs, 3 to 6 months).We're all connected to a real estate investment education school and everyone has had between 180 hours and 470 hours of education in fundamentals and in REI strategies.

If you are an investor, you are providing a service to others (housing) and you should recognize that you are a giver and a provider for those who cannot or will not do that.Why were you put on this planet?

A 9% cap rate on a particular property might seem very high to an investor in midtown Manhattan, while the same rate could seem very low to someone in Upper Dry-Rot County.I don’t want to invent any new terminology (we have enough already) but perhaps a way to wrap your mind around this is to start by recognizing that the market cap rate is, as I said, the rate of return other investors are actually achieving for a given property type in this location.

Carnegie made it because he was a logistics expert, a railroad expert trained in the field by the Civil War, and that's what was needed to recognize it's potential for building railroad bridges and reinforcing concrete, and to bring cheap steel to market successfully.

Rather than make that assumption, let me "assume the best" and recognize that perhaps you may not be aware of the impact of your words. 

They have been kicking around the idea of getting into STR but they recognize they will need full time in-house cleaning staff.

As for real estate school, I went with a well recognized online platform.

My last 2 purchases have been off market, but I continue to look at properties listed on the MLS recognizing there are sometimes gems on the MLS.  

I also fully recognize that STRs are not passive investments and require a lot of time and effort until I can begin to automate it.I've been primarily looking in the Poconos as that is a destination that is familiar to me and one of which my family has been to many times.

I recognize the 3 day training does not make anyone a super investor wiz.