You can purchase many types of gift cards at office supply stores that could be beneficial for you as a landlord.

For black Friday they had $100 Lowes gift cards for $80.  

A HELOC is one of the few gifts from the bankers to the small investor!

(I'm assuming this would be dramatically more cost efficient solution and I could ultimately gift my parents the originally intended "down payment" money over the next few years (depending on gifting limits). )D) Parents Gift the Property to Me?

Nevertheless, you have a ton of promoters running around talking about it is the easiest way to enter REI, no money required, no experience, make tons of money, etc.

I would really prefer to have the easiest access to the money with the least amount of paperwork.  

If you don't own your own home yet, that is the easiest way to start, but it works best if you can buy it right.  

-the second way to a woman's heart is a welcome gift package (about $10 in dollar tree supplies: toilet paper roll, cleaning paper roll, toilet plunger, toilet brush, dish dispenser, soap dispenser, shower liner) + 1 box/pack of water bottles-the third way to a woman's heart is a nice home/unit smell (apple + cinnamon/santal wood/ebony....)short version:-you need to find your niche!

Yes, many times and most have usually worked out.My parents felt the rentals they had were an extension of their gift back and their goal was offering people with hard lives a way to be more self sufficient, on top of gifting to their church.

I received a home as gift from my father.