Because no one is going to help you, you must help yourself - we are all that middle point around which the world revolves - and it's up to you to own it.So when our friend Lydia thought, 'come on dude, put some of your time and thought into it,' it's because, like me, she's probably seen a lot of people approach this biz and we now see at a glance whether they have the skill set, disposition, and self-starter attitude required for it.For example, I used to tell people, "You should consider getting into real estate," but when they text me later that evening asking me what website they look into licensing courses on, I realize I made a mistake, because I'm not going to Google That For You.But take heart, because these are all learned skills, you just need to focus on learning the right ones. 

Higher interest rate, points etc, but at least these guys don't need W2 or DTI, just min FICO guessing 650, higher LTV so more down payment, some as high as 75%, one I;ve seen 80% but I bet that has catches..Asset based rental lenders:  Lima One,  Finance of America and more local "soft money" lenders who you'll find out about at your local REIA and broker/lenders. 

They have worked with these people, know their skill level and reliability, and they have an interest in maintaining a long term relationship with them as well as you.

That could be helpful if I wanted to start in a JV so I would provide some technical, construction skills to s.o. who is not interested in the dirty job but has the money?

Even then, we buy and make more money than the seller - depending upon our skill set developed.

Cracks in the foundation, dangling wires, three layers of roofing material on the roof, broken fixtures, off color carpet areas, spots on the ceilings, soft spots in the walls in the bathroom where water has penetrated, swampy areas in the lawn.

Reading is a valuable skill that's under appreciated in this generation. 

You need to figure both soft and hard costs and you need to leave a variance for unexpected occurrences. 

There is no shortage of people who will help you, but they aren't looking for you, you need to look for them. networking is NOT a natural talent, it's a skill like any other that you get better at with practice. 

In my area I would pay a laborer $80-100 per day and a handyman $100-150 per day depending on the type of work and the skill and experience of the person.