I would look to invest with an established group or individual and learn as much as possible.

Your goal isn't to accumulate properties...it's to accumulate deals.You don't get a second chance, to establish your starting point with your funds.

Either they are established and nice or up and coming with growth potential.

That space is for very well establish players, as the crowd funding platforms want to maintain their reputation by only listing properties run by strong and credible operators.

One way around this is to establishing a land trust and then having the beneficiary of the land trust to the desired LLC. 

The best way is to build a relationship with a local realtor who will sit with you and establish rules of what to look for when doing comps for you.If they know you are serious, and they are too, then they should be happy to help you.

In my locality, with an occupant we want out, that isn't paying rent and the status of a lease is unknown, I've only had to establish tenancy and demand a rent amount in a letter by certified mail. 

Not established people with “options” who wake up and figure out that they should be paying off a note not their landlords note.

With flips it isn't really an issue, but BRRRRs we would need to have it established from the start.  

But it is important to establish yourself in one area before diving into others to ensure that you are as focused as possible on generating great returns on that specific strategy.