But, these "guru's" almost always sell the idea in a way that makes it sound as if zero effort, money or credit is ever needed in order to start making trillions of dollars instantly in real estate.

I have had hard money lenders tell me they want the property under contract first but can't get it under contract without POF or  in this one instant a VOF

Have a employment income that supports your investing or have tons of cash to allow instant income from rents.

Should a HELOC really be called, that same person would instantly qualify for a regular mortgage, everything else remaining equal - so this is a very theoretical risk (besides the fact that banks don't normally call lines of credit  that are being served regularly.

But anyone with a high school diploma should instantly see through the malarky and realize that OpenDoor's offer price is going to be nowhere near what you'd receive on the open market.

Another "scary" thing has been double booking; but, I have been managing that by going and and manually updating the listing on AirBnB and have not turned on instant book. 

No instant booking.

I did have instant book turned on with Vrbo and Airbnb pre COVID and never had any issues.I turned off instant book and am staying full so if it ain't broke...

One thing to note is that if you can get a cash flowing rental with instant equity at say 80-90k for this one  it doesnt make much sense to not take it.

Lots of great info on the site…and the forums/ability to get near-instant feedback from experienced (and generous with their time) investors is fantastic.