Are their authors to avoid?

I looked into the student market of East Lansing which is the town of MSU, and I think I'm going to avoid that for now until I get more experience managing a rental. 

For my low-income tenants I often do on-the spot deposit returns because it makes it possible for them to get another place and I can avoid the eviction process.

You could roll over the 401k into one of these products and avoid the 10% penalty?

It's only a stepping stone to break free.While you are slaving, eat ramen, roommate up or live in trailer, avoid Starbucks and tuck every dollar you can squeeze out into a bank account. need 20% down and money for materials. so for 80K home (trashed), you will want 35K banked to get started, just a rough idea.Then, get pre-approved.

When you're evaluating different turn key companies, in general, the ones to avoid are the ones that: Don't allow financing or a finance contingency (it can be a good indication they are selling above market value)Don't allow for your own independent property inspectionAre not realistic with their pro forma's (i.e. they don't include vacancy or maintenance projections or use unrealistically low vacancy factors)Require you to pay for any renovation upfrontSell only in cheap. low end neighborhoodsDon't accurately represent the neighborhood/property classificationDon't have consistent rehab standards for all properties

I don't necessarily agree with your evaluation of avoiding probate.

Lacking any one of those can cause you to invest in a shaky project or lose your investment (foreclosure is an incredibly expensive and drawn-out process).Another cash flow option is to indirectly invest in real estate via a Private Real Estate Fund.Investing in a private loan fund:Pros: You gain a real estate asset managed by professionals and avoid the risks and illiquidity inherent in the direct investment.Con: Your investment funds can be committed for a longer period of time.

I am trying to avoid the Broker/Agent to be so hungry they'll sell me anything.

Many investors avoid selling because of the costs associated with it.