I'm assuming you met the contractor in person right? 

The plan was to do as much in-person networking as possible (via regional RE networking events).

They have in-person meetings, and they also have chats often by Zoom. https://www.ocreic.org/

She knows us so well that she will personally lend to me without any collateral.

Once a judge signs off on the judgement and the damages, you can hire an attorney to garnish wages or place a lien on any personal property of the tenant and/or co-signers.

I don't ask for SSN and also personally have never provided/been pressured to provide them myself when I used to rent, and honestly don't want to open up liability for having to keep someone's SSN either.

Any recommendations from personal experience?

I personally believe it's smart to get ahead of the curve of this trend before ADU's become more of the norm in AZ.

Hey Patience, I would personally get a loan and buy as many properties as I comfortably could.

Hey All -- I believe I have an understanding of the financial workflow here, but figured this group would have lots of personal experience and or advice.