Can they prove how long it takes to rent a vacant property?

My baby boomer friends talk about how smart they are at making money after they inherited it, but most had regular jobs and over time that paid off, most it did not and are facing tough times. 

Very tough to get 3 or 4 designs per room if you’re paying a local designer $50-$100/hr

for me personally the only one I would trust to make a small business loan is my local commercial banker or credit union.even if they don't rip you off for advance fee's which is so common.. they never do end up funding.. business loans unless they are credit cards  are very tough to get.. if your getting a unsecured 500k business loanmeans you have at least 1 million in liquid cash and or securities.. 

The bank made loans to a bunch of amateur speculators who over - leveraged, who didn't know how to calculate cash flow using worst case scenarios (or didn't bother to), and they all failed when the market got tough.

Also knowing the details of the condition of every neighborhood and keeping up with the RE news out of state or even out of your area is tough too.

Proving my value and staying hungry is great advice. 

I have a couple of rentals that I am marketing right now and its tough to find qualified tenants.

This may be tough if the space is super tight for a few reasons, but worth considering.I could talk water heaters all day...

Flipping in Mass is tough just due to the cost of entry.