A couple weeks ago I spoke to a loan officer about getting a mortgage.

Now, I’m curious about real estate investing.I have some experience flipping a couple of houses, and although I have a ton of flaws, one of my strengths is being resourceful and assembling amazing teams—I’m always looking for people better than me at what they do— what seems to be a good fit for real estate.

Tough situation.Sounds like your mortgage forces your hand. 

A handful of quality flips, BRRRR's, or new construction can transform a neighborhood quickly.

Painting, for instance- an amatuer could take their time and paint a house over the course of a couple weeks and do a great job, but a professional crew could do the entire job in a day. 

I'm not completely foreign to the construction process as I grew up around a family that was involved in home building, but due to living in another state I can't really lean on them for the direct, hands-on guidance. 

I need long-term renters as a back up.I saw a basement apartment for rent in LauriaVille in a gorgeous remodeled home that’s been listed for $1050  It’s been sitting there a couple months and that concerns me because that’s not a lot of money for quite a bit of space in a great house.It’s been sitting there a couple months and that concerns me because that’s not a lot of money.

I would lay eyes on anything you are considering purchasing first hand.

On the other hand if they are a sponsor that is experienced in stopping a skin in the game, that's a huge red flag for me.c) how open to scrutiny are they?

The best contractors don’t just throw their hands up when issues arise; they come up with solutions and keep the project moving forward.5.