If you need to secure a property quickly, or if you are doing renovations that can be completed within a year then you are better off using hard money or private lending options as they've got quicker close times and tend to be more investor friendly.

He’s in this group, it might be a good time for me to ask him. 

I have met Clay and his family a few times now, and they are fantastic to work with.

it takes money and time, as there is tremendous competition for off market deals right now. 

This will continue to drop over time and should be secured correctly."

The closing times are so much quicker.

A PM would have taken most of that.I have seen too many OOS investors fail buying cheap properties in rough areas not recognising that over time capex exceeds cash flow.

But if I were joint owner (as it stands now) and I decided to sell, I would owe taxes on all the capital gains from the time we bought the property. 

Based on the time they spent, I'd guess they're making $2K/hour.One building had a single balcony fail inspection.

It's definitely possible, but can be a lot of work and time.