Emphasis on knowing your numbers.. a cash buyer(the one you assign the contract to and is actually going to buy it) will expect you to have run the numbers and save the cash buyer the time, that is the value you bring to them as a wholesaler.

I have zero real estate deals I am just starting out right now, I am a full time mechanic, I’ve  been wanting to invest in real estate for quite some time now but I have been sitting on the side lines wondering what to do first.

I felt justified (nice guy).Here's how it all went down.I went to the house before because the new owners said there was water in front of the sink and they are not mechanically inclined at all. 

A typical project would involve a facade replacement, building mechanical overhaul or upgrade, vertical expansions, new or modernized elevators, restrooms and lobbies. 

From there I have earned my mechanical engineering degree with hopes of one day no longer working for anyone but myself.

I get what you are proposing but don't have experience in the mechanics.

Mid Tenn Mechanical did some work for me recently and they were amazing.

Now, the fact that he is an investor means you may have put a little too much emphasis on his "motivation". 

Whether they be a mortgage, mechanics, tax lien etc. 

I like #3 especially with the emphasis on BE ACTIVE in your real estate meetings.