Cash: Cash may seem great, it's real and doesn't bounce, however, it usually means you have to meet your renter in person to collect which can be a pain and it's hard to keep track of.

**I started doing web design as a freelancer when I was 15 years old and that hobby quickly turned into a successful digital marketing agency where I now manage general operations.At 18 years old, I'm standing here with a steady income, no living expenses (live with parents - still in high school), and a dying hunger to get into real estate!

@Sergio Rodriguez, I feel your pain, finding deals is a complicated, time consuming process.  

Cold call as an unrelated investor and create spreadsheets detailing each leads pain points and motivation level.

You definitely feel my pain then.

@Kevin RzeszutoI feel your pain. 

Investing in mutual funds my first few years has satisfied my hunger for investing... until now.

So those are other problems/questions to be answered.These are all growing pains.

For me, my pain points were marketing, screening and collecting rent.

There are plenty of people much more successful than myself who have never gotten a license. sometimes its more of a pain jumping through hoops than it's worth.However, if you want to make a career out of being an agent, you'll obviously have to get it.