I think what you are looking for is someone trained in the ways of real estate investing - an agent that will:Introduce you to FSBO's - Expired Listings and other real estate opportunitiesWill be your fiduciary representativeWill make offers for you on suitable real estateWho understands creative financing; delayed settlement, seller assisted financing, assignment, wholesaling, REO, tenant selection, soft money mortgages, tax salesWho will be responsive to your financial goals and a person of integrity and trustHelp with direct mail and street marketing to locate transactionsHousing and rent court marketingAbsolute aware of financial and contract clauses as well as contract engineeringCan assist in - delayed settlement - automatic extension, performance mortgages, subordination, principal mortgages, options and joint venturesAware of bidding on REO, forclosures, tax sales and public auctionsUp to speed on commercial real estate, lots and land as well as businesses with real estateHow should you treat this wonderful person (if you can find one) -They should have a commitment from in the form of a Fiduciary Buyers Brokers AgreementYour agreement to pay them a commission on any non-listed deals they bring youA bonus agreement for great deals that you closeA gas budget - or a cash payment for gas Kind words and respectTo be sincere and active with the agentRespect from youFirst class training on how to represent youSometimes an equity interest in the great deals the agent has initiatedListings when you are ready to sellYour cooperation - all your financials, tax returns and other information that will help your agent close dealsA few free lunches ----Good luck --- Charles

Given that we are carrying ALL of the financial risk, I am having a hard time seeing why this would be reasonable or fair.

That's a span of time you can't even fathom at your age.2)  BUILD a SOLID FINANCIAL FOUNDATIONGet your credit score to >700 (there's a ton of info on how to build your credit anywhere on BP or Google)Obtain or continue earning W-2 income (this becomes important when you want to obtain a mortgage down the line)Pay down any bad (consumer) debt and don't pile on any additional bad debt.Start saving.

@Matthew CopelandTax Liens and Crowd Funding are pretty much the best options for a smaller account.Most investors will work within the standard financial services space to grow their savings and then switch to a self-directed account once they have the type of funding necessary to participate in more significant non-traditional assets such as real estate and notes.

Are there any legal/financial ramifications if I collect rent through my personal Venmo account, then transfer to my business account for my rental property?

My goal is to reach financial freedom within the next 5 years.

My long term goal is to reach financial freedom by building a buy and hold portfolio that consist of single/multi family houses.       

Interesting article linked below, and a cautionary one for anyone who considers buying debt in natural disaster areas where the home's value is lower than the debt.

As such, the plans will be largely similar in the ability to invest in anything the IRS rules allow for with checkbook control.The only real difference on the investing side is that IRA plans are subject to UDFI taxation on debt-financed real estate investments and 401k plans are not.  

I looked at the financials and NOI is 54k a month and cap rate is 5 percent on a 4.3 million dollar investment.