I don’t even have a portfolio, just own the house I live in right now. Finding a deal that makes sense and then presenting it to the mortgage broker will help a lot. Then the only risk is you as a person, since you have no experience.
So, to get around that, I mentioned I have a mentor in Texas, without saying his name (Tom), who will be guiding me along. I mentioned his 150,000 sq/ft of rentals and they were surprisingly receptive to me after that. It doesn’t sound made up, and it isn’t.
In the meantime I’m still sending letters like clockwork, and I think those will pay dividends down the road.
Also, while prospecting garage sales, I’m finding smaller items to flip and sell on eBay. It’s pretty fun and I knock out two birds with one stone.