I am interested in going bigger - anywhere from 5-12 units, and anywhere from one building or multiple homes.

What are the worst case situations that I'm not thinking of?

We are already starting to make significant investments in our team and are currently in the process of filling multiple software engineer positions so we can knock out our software roadmap faster than ever. 

I've house hacked twice in Reno, NV and cash reserves have saved me multiple times. 

Hey @Yoel Peyamipour - echoing what everyone else pretty much is saying, any combination of multiple tools will work.

In Washington state right off the I 5 corridor .. my land partner got into contract for 65k ( infill lot that could handle a duplex or two units) put it on the MLS ( which is how you get top dollar) sold in 3 days multiple offers for 110k netted us 100k so 35k net profit .. which I have a formula to split with the acquisition partner. ( PS its always more to them than me) but bottom line if you can fill your pipeline its easily a low 6 figure to mid to high 6 figure when you have a capital partner like myself.. or someone else.. does take a fair amount of capital though usually 500k to 1 mil in cash to make that kind of money so thats where we come in.

What are some recommendations to mitigate this situation? 

There may be some additional loan programs depending on the situation. 

You can also build a relationship with a good local agent and ask them to run comps for you, or in certain situations like selling a high-end home to a friend off market I’d recommend just paying for an actual appraisal.

He's interesting in partnering and, at least for now, would be contributing services.Is there a standard capital / profits interest for situations where services are the only thing contributed?