It really comes down to paying the agent enough to get the level of service you want. 

As long as you don't spread yourself too thin and don't need to sell during the bad times, you should do okay.As a side note, I wouldn't trust anyone who tells you its a good time to do anything if they make money when you do it.

I don't know that residency will be as time consuming for me as it may have been for a surgical subspecialty like urology since I am going into psychiatry (most residents I talk to say that after intern year it really levels out, and more than 80 hours a week during the first year is extremely uncommon with less than 60 after that being average).

Even if the contractor comes from good referral, don't put all your trust on them.

Trust deed states are generally the best for speed and expense of collateral disposition in a default..

Stand out by being someone people respect, trust, and know they can get a good deal from.

If you don't know people and you don't have credit to guarantee them a return on a personal level.

But otherwise not a lot of difference.But, I'm not sure I would do it in a town I didn't live in unless I found a property manager I knew and trusted.

I participated in a few dozen notes both personally and in my retirement accounts and the way it was done I have a promissory note which spells out the terms of the loan (interest rate, length of the loan, etc.) and the deed of trust or a mortgage securing my interest. 

Don't forget the magic words "TRUST ME".