I was able to purchase a home from 2000 miles away in Indy via a realtor, perform a property turn and get it leased for 16 months in the dead of winter.

The PMs are not a big deal...you can just ignore or block them.The constant cut and paste hidden advertisements are problematic...on some posts, every reply is an ad.The luring of members to PMs that are actually sales pitches are fine because they reveal who not to partner with.The lies about investment performance are bad.The moderators have their hands full. 

We were able to get a better rate and keep more money out of the deal that method as it appraised for more after is was fixed up and performing.  

My rent rolls far out perform the appraisal values.

@Lee Nestlerode I Have invested in 10 deals passively so far with 5 different syndicators but have not performed a background check on any one so far.

Renters get scammed quite easily by providing their sensitive information or even doing things like wiring deposits, or even simply doing things that may not be a matter of exercising good judgement — but that can happen when thinking about something like a new home.

Service animals are limited to dogs or miniature horses and are trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a legitimate disability.  

That fact alone tells me I should use this only as a learning exercise and to stay far away, but if any of you good folks would be so kind as to offer your thoughts and opinions, I would greatly appreciate it!

From my experience Zillow performs the best.  

If you’re talking about a multi-family residence with five or more units, the bank will typically place more of an emphasis on the economic performance of the property, and less of an emphasis on you as a borrower.