You are the ones doing the work and if you are finding great deals and putting in the sweat equity people will be more than happy to fund that... 

That loan will have some bank hand-holding that people dislike (annual reporting requirements for the first few years, all rent checks must get deposited into an account at that specific bank so they can see it coming in and have an automatic "early warning signal" if they drop off, etc), but hey in their case I'd say it wasn't unwarranted, their only track record is that of mismanaging after all. 

So many people (including me) are complaining that they're not getting the bookings from Vrbo that they used to, and now Vrbo want to block some more days that won't get booked on their platform. 

Do deep research to find areas good for investing, with lots of people renting, new jobs, more people moving in, steady money flow, and chances for the place's value to go up.

Do people use generic documents?

Many people have invested in RE within a pre-tax and Roth account. 

Find like-minded people that are also looking to or already investing.

I personally find that the online groups get me access to more people.

Assistants to property managers learn about dealing with people who rent, agreements to rent, keeping places up, and looking at properties closely.Real estate agents get to know the market well and talk with other pros in the field.

Meanwhile, more people move here because of the attractive cost of living, Midwest lifestyle and stable climate.