I am sure it happens, but I don't think it is as wide spread as some people seem to believe.

We are very interested to learn more about private financing and also network with investors around the twin cities. 

I have another person on the team that deals with marketing and networking with buyers and we definitely close deals, regardless of liens.

Im in the top 1% of agents nation wide and honestly I know people who struggle to make a living doing this that have more inate talent at it than I do.

Bigger Pockets is a great place to network, learn about the real estate investing business, and get deals done correctly, Bryon.

Get out, network, listen to podcasts, and read, read, read, read!

Go visit houses on your area / network,5.

we've been asked the same question by a dozen or so good friends who live in/near SF about whether it's worth postponing the ownership dream, given where the bay area market is in 2018. personally, I think that right now is the time to hold off on entering the bay area market... unless you find a truly off-market, discounted opportunity through networking or a personal connections.sidenote: moving to the east bay (alameda, particularly) actually shortened my commute time into my day job in SF, compared to when i lived in SF. i'm sure you've heard this perspective before, but there's goodness to be found in the east bay, if you are dead set on buying in 2018/2019.from an investing perspective, there are still strong returns to be found outside of california. that's why we recommend to friends with capital that they consider looking into investment. that way they can start building wealth now and position themselves for buying that beautiful home when the time is financially right. sidenote: i recently posted on a similar topic on this thread. you can see if you scroll down and there are dozens of other helpful comments on this topic, on that thread: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/587593-general-do-you-rent-or-own-the-home-you-currently-live-in?

I still need to build my network but I'll keep all that in mind :)

This is a relatively new concept to me and no one in my direct network has experience with these types of transactions and tools, so I'm in the dark.