Because people skip this and jump right to techniques, we have a huge FAILURE rate of people wanting to be real estate “operators”.  

Definitely a focus area from lenders, conventional or otherwise - theres been a reported uptick in occupancy fraud or funny business lately as rates and values have continued to be so high and qualifying so tough - people are more likely to bend the rules on stuff like this - so this is generally the lender response

Maybe that challenge would make the investing journey seem more "fun" but you are in a position that sooooo many people dream of. 

It's in the country so people looking in that area generally want peace and quiet.

I recommend that you consult with a tax accountant specializing in real estate taxation.

People are always wanting to share success stories or failures to help teach someone. 

We were able to get seller credit to help off-set the cost, but now we have heard of some people getting a free roof with the installation of solar.

Some leases are very rudimentary, some appear to be copies of copies written years ago, a lot of people like to add additional provisions.

Some of those can be good, but most are just regurgitated versions of other people's courses.If you want to be successful in real estate investing, start with transparency.If you are a new investor, use it to your advantage.

Does that mean that I can only rent the place out to people that share the same finances?