How do they get tenants in place, and how difficult is it really?

Well you can but it makes it more difficult when you have zero cash to work with (ask me how I know!). 

You haven't given many details so it's difficult to give you a quality answer for your situation.

As an out of state investor, Birmingham has proven far and away my most difficult city to rent remotely (it's one of five cities in which I have rental properties), mostly because of terrible property managers.

Beyond being difficult to make the numbers work, it's just not a wise strategy IMO.

Since most properties on the market here have inspections and a disclosure packet up front, it will be difficult to get those documents without MLS access. 

I originally tried to house hack, but it's difficult to find a multi-unit with a vacant unit, and I keep getting outbid.

That said, my last Booking.com guest a couple of weeks ago was a bit difficult pre-arrival but ended up being a great guest and left a 10 star review (no comments though).  

FSBO sellers who had a difficult time screening the buyers. 2) Home Pricing Errors. 3) Negotiation challenges.I think it take a special buyer's agent to complete a deal, from contract to close, with a FSBO listing on the other side of the table.If you have worked a FSBO transaction (either representing the buyer or ultimately the seller who list the property after attempting a FSBO deal), SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE!!!

A tenant-occupied property, especially one that needs work, is always more difficult to sell (whether you use a realtor or now).