Hey Brendan, I think the first thing worth mentioning is to do your best not to be disgruntled with anyone else's success. They more than likely started out in a similar position as you, and worked their way to that point. If anything, reach out to that individual and mention you're starting out and ask for advice/tips to succeed. It may be a long shot, that person may be a jerk and waste of a call. Being humble and reaching out for help to better yourself never goes out of style though.
As for your points of concern, I understand that it can be troubling finding those ideal properties. That's part of this business though. I see it mentioned already that if it was easy, everyone would do it. One thing I can assure you is that there is always a deal to be found somewhere though. Maybe you can adjust your aim a bit, and search in a nearby area. Hope this helps in some way, I've been in a rather similar situation before
