Or if you like the hotel sector, simply look at publicly traded hotel firms like Hilton or Marriott.My suggestion: I would actually keep researching and maybe even look closer to home. 

Some of the ideas I have stumble upon are, buying some shipping containers design plans from architecture firms and from there contract construction companies to build them.

That is not what our firm charges – that is what the lender is allowed to collect under the terms of the note.

I asked my buying agent, and he said he would rep me, but it would be 1.75% ("firm policy") vs the typical 3%, which equates to $7k and would almost defeat the purpose of this whole process.

We have a decent amount of HQ overhead (operations manager, transaction coordinators, admin assistants, office rent, travel expenses, etc), plus each market/field has another $20k or so of monthly overhead -- sales, project manager, superintendent, admin, office costs, etc.The three options we have come up with are:1. each employee keeps time on the amount of time spent on each house and we bill this to each house, like a law firm would work (this is hard and time consuming)2. we pass through all of the overhead to the fund directly, like the fund is investing in a company. 

This is why some firms pay their employees by deposits onto debit cards, and then they can get cash via an ATM. 

I know plenty of agents and even “owners” of the real estate firms around here so getting a job wouldn’t be a problem either.

I am firm believer in the simplicity of the business.

If they do it, the Sheriffs are a great way to get things served as everyone takes that very seriously (there is a fee, check for civil process service on the county website.Good luck, act fast and be firm!!

My real estate investment firm has exhausted many of it's fundraising sources.