This step could be a decision maker from buying a gutted, burned home to an actual person that wants help and will cooperate once you take over the deed..  

With that recent experience I've developed a real passion for everything real estate and am considering becoming a licensed realtor which would eventually allow me opportunity to make real estate investments for myself! 

Don the deal maker :)  this scenario is probably more appropriate for @Chris Seveney sand box but one of my favorites was forming a great relationship with the state manager for a thrift they would feed me their loans in foreclosure..

I'll hope my tenants can make rent and can use my reserve funds for a month or two if I need to.

I realized I didn't want to be stuck in an office for the rest of my life, and was willing to do whatever it took to make real estate work.  

However they were off-market deals and the hardest thing with that for an investor is being direct to a decision maker. 

If I thought for one minute it was a money maker or sustainable I would not have sold my 200 doors. 

It takes effort and money to turn a property into a money maker and that can get lost when you sell to say nothing of taxes etc.

Am I being too complex or should I just make rent due based on the start of the lease and have them pay me the full monthly rent on the 14th of every month.  

In the past i've had experience with entertainment, appearing on PBS and taking part in local films and grabbing a news spot.