I'm in a number of social groups for private lenders and have run into a lot of scams.

Remember, the notion of amassing wealth without investing is a dangerous myth perpetuated by self-proclaimed experts.

Presumably, if you retire before you take Social Security, you will have a handful of low income years when you could then do Partial Roth conversions and convert those assets you presumably saved at a 22% or higher tax rate, and convert them in a lower income situation (12% or less). 

The biggest 'danger' I've experienced in the coaching space was coaches who took the cash and wanted me to follow 'their' program rather than coaching me where I am to get where I wanted to go. 

One good idea is to connect with the social worker department at the hospital to see if you can assist with anyone traveling to the area. 

Their newsletter/website/social media has all the vendor recommendations for our area.

Down payment funds may seem tricky to those who get lured in by the countless con artists on social media selling the notion 100% financing using other people's money is easy.

But, I also think the access to information today: all the books, these forums, conferences, gurus on social media...  

Quote from @Michael Smythe: @Kwanza P.Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

Delays, unforeseen repairs, and underestimating budget up front are all much more dangerous occurrences once a gap lender is involved.