Once you get established, you may be able to change that as we have a program that will allow for experienced investors that can use the value instead of the sales price to calculate LTV requirements. as for a down payment on non-owner properties it needs to be your cash or a collateralized loan against an asset like another property, brokerage account, 401k etc.  

This is of secondary importance at the moment.My question is this, what approaches have people used for establishing a real estate website that would take you from a small portfolio to one consisting of let's say 100 units?

Around here for STRs, usually owners/managers will have it stocked at arrival and let the guests fill up after that.  6 months and a day is long enough to establish residence in our state, so I would not be  grocery delivery service for a long term guest. 

Again, I am still strictly an armchair landlord, and likely will be for another year or so as I work on establishing myself as a real estate agent, so please don't hesitate to consider other people's opinions on the matter.

The key is 1) establishing a good relationship with a local lender and 2)buying RIGHT - meaning make sure your purchase + rehab ends up being under 65%-70% of the new appraisal.

People with money can hire advisors that would likely know about these games 2.

So rocket science is easier to me than networking, but I learned that I can hold my own--after several years of practice.The best way to network for me is by establishing relationships that add value for both parties involved.

While there is some truth to what's being said regarding homes being torn down at what appears to be a rather pre-mature time, especially in comparison to North American homes which may be in use well over 100 years, a lot of the information contained is reflective of theory - derived from a predetermined "depreciation" formula established by the government, in essence, to keep the economy humming.The basic formula was determined by taking the age of all the homes that had been razed, and averaging out their age.

I myself will soon be active in the market and will be going through some of the same challenges as well establishing a database.

Since your wife is established in your current area you have to consider that also.