You have to do your due diligence up front, but once you put your money in it is very passive and you just get your monthly or quarterly return (if you picked a good investment).

I didn't have a lot of money- but I could have been smarter about it.

If you want to spend the money, you can split the water. 

I trust my agent but I also would like to be able to verify what they told me was true especially when it cost me more money.

Your friend is wise, @Brandon Elliott.

My idea was to establish myself with some paid-off, cash flowing properties to make leveraging them for more investments a lot easier.I'd like to flip some houses to generate some cash, but  even knowing what I know I'm struggling to see how to make money doing so. 

The idea that you can build wealth without putting any money into it is a recipe for disaster and the sales pitch of gurus trying to steal your money.

I don't know the rent amount or security deposit amount but if they're not paying, many times they don't have the money.

Not 2021-2022 money but more like 2019 money. 

Question, with loan interest rates at a high currently and cash money sitting in the bank making 4-5%, maybe have your partner do a private loan for 6.5-7% short term until rates comes down??