They don't have the insight to forecast markets, lack respect for downside (because they haven't been around long enough to have experienced it), and underwrite to the best-case scenario.  

Sponsor in these deals in my mind is far more important than the deal.. there are deals everywhere that's not hard to do.. finding qualified ( VERY EXPERIENCED) sponsors who have been through many economic cycles is hard to do.

Partnering up with an experienced and reliable pro is absolutely the way to go in any newbie venture.

Thanks for the experienced feedback, Brent.  

Even though I am an experienced small business person,  and an experienced commercial property owner, I apparently can't necessarily run around with my down payment money, call it 25 percent down and expect the deal to be pushed through.

I started out buying in just my name and later when I knew more and was more experienced transitioned into  an asset protection plan. 

Or partner up with an experienced wholesaler and split the deal.

I think craigslist may be a good source to find some off market deals but I wanted to see what more experienced professionals think.Any successful stories you can share? 

By "short timeline", I simply mean the quickest path - I understand this is a complex industry where an established track record is a must-have.Would getting my Commercial Real Estate Broker's license and working for a Commercial Brokerage, or finding deals for experienced syndicators (without a broker's license), better serve me in reaching my goal as quickly as possible?

Hope you are not experiencing any issues with your DTI situation.