A prominent MLO in the northeast was recently charged and stripped of his license for playing this game with his borrowers.Also, everything is reviewed by underwriting.

I'm fairly new to the real estate game and currently have 2 properties; 4 bed 2 1/2 bath renters have been in there going on their 5th year, and a new 3 bed 2 bath we're looking into using for a midterm.I work as a radiology manager for Methodist and been with them going on 10 years.

RE investing is a numbers game so the more properties/options you look at, the higher the likelihood you'll land a good deal in a shorter amount of time.Only 6% of Suffolk 2-4 family properties listed since '23 have been triplexes and quads. 

I am looking to get into the real estate game early and learn as much as possible, especially about house hacking and possibly short-term rentals.

You can utilize hard money for a BRRR or flip to get into the game. 

It's part of participation trophy society where people get socially rewarded for just being in the game, but that shouldn't apply to real estate.

The auto guest messaging and guest verification features from Hospitable are a game changer!

It does not matter whether you are starting a real estate business, restaurant, car wash, or amazon commerce business - the lender will first look at you and your partner and how much skin you have in the game, your experience and the risk of the loan not getting paid. 

Felt like being at a high-stakes poker game, but with properties on the line.

Sounds like you put in a Bonafide game player but no worries, they suck at the game.