I'm in RE for the long game, but I don't understand how people make money off of rental properties. 

I understand the 70% rule If you plan on flipping property.

The reason for this is, my understanding is I cannot loan a down payment?

Macomb has been a great market for us and we have it locked down with solid off-market opportunities, but we have a growing team and would like to expand.

Our strategy is long term buy and hold investors looking for solid cash flow.

The colleges in NEPA are: Stroudsburg U, Kings Coll and Wilkes in Wilkes Barre, Keystone in Dalton (near Clarks Summit) and in Scranton there is Univ of Scranton, Marywood and a branch of Penn State.In regard to the Poconos there is an abundance of single family opportunities in the private communities but also HOA dues and extra due dilligence to understand each community.That is a tour of a small piece of PA.

I understand, in theory, what to do and have been reaching out to do deals, but I still seem to slide into my buy-and-hold real estate investing ways.

Our strategy is long term buy and hold investors looking for solid cash flow.

You 'buy in' to invest in real estate only when you can also qualify for their personal loan, which my understanding was your "investment" or buy-in to the Mo-Money-Matters program.Ultimately, I discontinued working with their group, and the affiliate of theirs who I trusted also left their group. 

( I understand the answer will be highly variable but anything will help)P.s.