Going out of state might be riskier if you don't have the teams in place, but there are several investor friendly agents who could assist you.

I like the money but I definitely want to have more time with my family and friends.

I then bought a SFH with that money and rehabbed and furnished it and my first tenants were fairly good friends who ended up trashing it and instead of cleaning up and having a second go at it I quit.

We need to secure loans/mortgages externally in order to get started so wondering if we should start a company/partnership or if it’s best to do this as individuals.

If you want to find an actual mentor, go to meetups, reach out to individuals that are investing in the style you like and offer value to them. 

The bad news is that it is not beginner friendly.

Sure, you may come across a few that put in too many maintenance requests from time to time, haha, but most of that can be handled with a phone call and doesn't always require a tech (or you if you are self managing) to be dispatched.Software: I cannot stress this enough, make sure whatever software you choose is user friendly, for you and your tenants!

To clarify, when I refer to private lenders, I mean individuals acting as lenders.

Check you dm's/friend requests please :)

I have agreed to lend a friend who does fix and flips some cash for a property, with an agreement for a 10% ROI (I am lending 10k since this is my first time doing business with him, however I do trust him.)