I have no idea how/what he’s doing now but I have two degrees, excellent job, no student debt, car paid off, I live rent-free with my boyfriend, have cash in the bank and am looking for my first rental property. :)

Excellent suggestions, thank you. 

It should still be clear this is an excellent situation.

Everything I have read says I wouldn't get a 2nd conventional loan right away even though my numbers are excellent (credit above 800 and over $500k in my 401k with a monthly pension). 

This is assuming excellent credit, ratio of 1.00+ on a SFH with a long-term lease at 75% LTV.

@Evan Polaski excellent explanation.

It’s great to see your enthusiasm for diving into real estate investing and flipping houses, especially with your experience in home improvement and remodeling.You raise an excellent point about using your own cash versus financing through hard money loans.

The other half is: excellent finished product design and management at a reasonable cost. 

@Victor Rosario his course is excellent and a good value for the price.

They have one of the tougher credentialing processes out there, but they have excellent data that goes deep with relatives, neighbors, associates, etc..