There are definitely pros and cons to each so I figured I would just lay out a few benefits and personal thoughts: Small banks/brokerages:Pros:- Some regional knowledge of the market- Possibility of more creative lending guidelines with bank specific programs- Sometimes they have competitive rates for their areaCons: - weak balance sheet (more strict on some guidelines, no wiggle room, inability to be flexible or grant exceptions because they cannot afford to hold less than perfect loans)- Can't scale with clients to different markets- Usually limits exposure to individual investors (they don't want one investor to be too big of a portion of their balance sheet)- Lack of experience with multiple solutions (tend to have 2 or 3 loan products they sell and are too niche to provide tailored solutions)Large banks/brokerages:Pros:- Large compliance departments that understand individual market guidelines (typically each state has specific lending guidelines that augment the national baseline)- Ability to scale into multiple markets with same lender (licensed in many states)- Impossible for individual investors to "outgrow" a large bank's balance sheet (not concerned with one investor's concentration)- More lending solutions available for different scenarios- Often comparable or better rates given the game is volume basedCons:- Can be more difficult to get fast responses if the bank/brokerage does not have good follow up systems in place (or if the underwriting/processing staff gets overwhelmed)- Bad large banks can feel less like a relationship and more like a cog in a factory (less personal)Overall, I have worked from both and worked with both as a loan officer, branch manager, and as an investor/client myself. 

In my experience these are the levels of how financial fraud is doneLevel 1 - The “sponsor” is a fraudster from the beginning and the entire investment is a designed fraud designed to steal the investor's money Level 2 - The sponsor initially intends to operate legally and honestly but the temptation of easy access to money, usually fueled by addictions to drugs, sex, partying, etc. leads to the bad decision to line the sponsors own pocketsLevel 3 - The sponsor intends to operate legally but a crisis in their life resulting in a need for money leads the sponsor to “borrow” from investor’s funds with the full intention of paying it back ( which they are unable to do).Level 4 - The sponsor intends to operate legally but the assets under their management incur substantial loses; the sponsor attempts to cover up these loses by “temporarily” borrowing from one investor to pay another or submitting false results.

One needs to pay it off with cash or have another lender lined up .. 

Particularly be sure to include your goals for real estate investing so that folks can help you. 2) Follow your favorite forum topics and set up keyword alerts!

House hacking is a great place to start you portfolio, just be buckled up for the long haul.

Be conservative with your numbers and you'll see how close you are to your desired cash flow.

The agent should be following-up on showings to learn what the prospects think.

What's the mark-up on your PM's maintenance costs? 

I grew up in a major football town, and a close family friend rents his personal home out for $3K a weekend. 

If I buy a small business that includes real estate, it is possible to assume the existing loan (at a lower rate), and finance the additional amount up to asking on a second position mortgage?