or does anyone have successful experience 

Fund your first deal or two yourself, get some experience, build a portfolio of successful projects, and then lenders will be more willing to lend to you.If you can't put up the funds, I would recommend either getting a decent down-payment (20-40%) from friends or family, or finding another investor to partner with on the deal (he puts up cash, you put up equity), or worst case, wholesale the deal.

I have been at it for a 6 months now and haven't had any success yet.

@Jason GottFor smaller loan amounts ($50K and under) you may find more success with portfolio lenders like small local banks and credit unions.  

@Shera GregoryTalk with your accountant and if necessary a tax attorney because there are ways to structure “agreements/notes” to achieve your goals. 

Investing in a moderate risk income fund should be able to achieve a 10% return on average over time.

I would love to hear about any successes, troubles or any advice as a newbie investor looking to take on this big city.

I look at website as a bonus that you build over time.One other thing I've had success with is creating and promoting a Facebook page for your property. 

We are not the best lender for every investor (although the more traditional types of funding we extend can and do work for most deals) Interestingly it does not seem to matter how many success stories we publish, case studies we produce, documented deals we list,  legitimate positive reviews we receive - there are those who instantly believe anything negative they read online and dismiss all of the positive.

Vacancy and turnover will really limit your success in this category.