Multiple have 7 digit appreciation and were purchased at high LTV so that even without the value add they would have produced great returns.I have gotten smarter about RE, but I certainly do not claim my early purchases were better than average. 

I am a sales rep for a digital advertising company in St.

On the side I do security events, casino dealing, & catering.

But to scale beyond single digit counts, especially out of county and certainly for other asset classes like apartments, finding a good PM is very important... in my opinion.

There is no such thing as get rich quick, if you want that go to the casino with 10k and go on red.

We're in the digital age guys) or...you can just find a Real, Straightforward Investor to Mentor you. and if he's ligit and not a greedy crook.

Most of the small multi-unit properties in these markets can achieve low double digit returns IF you're willing to buy a property that needs to be renovated and re-rented.

On a typical JV deal (non performing) you should see double digit returns.

If you can't get that fancy, at least use DocuSign or similar to get digital signatures, and if you are in Maine, don't forget all the compliance docs: Radon, EFF, Lead, Bangor Tenant Rights (I see you live there). 

I know guys who are in Forex, Digital Marketing, Agency, Rei, Etc who are all easily in the top 1% and a lot of them travel full time.