I was told by a lender that if I wanted to put 10 under my name and 10 under my wife's name, we would have to sign a Free Trader Agreement - in basic terms, a document prepared for the purposes of waiving each party’s rights as to real estate and creating a right to obtain real estate independent of the other.

These should be people you actually know, and not an email list you bought somewhere.Approaching investors for soft commitments before you have something for them to invest in is the best way to prepare for when you do have something for them to invest in.

Read the millionaire real estate investor and you'll be more prepared than most.

We worked out a creative custom financing deal with Providence Bank to acquire 2  x 4 unit buildings by leveraging our equity in another building.

The realty is that I beleived in the rosy sales pitches and was not prepared for the realty.

But, I plan to learn as much as I can (using resources such as the ones you’ve listed) to prepare for the day I have that money. 

What are some alternative or creative approaches to this situation?

That would be a creative and fairly easy way to get the most out of your rents.

Having said that investors can be very creative at manipulation of numbers to make themselves feel better. 

Do you close creative deals such as wrap-around-mortgages, or subject-to transactions?