If the answer is the latter, is it possible I would lose the money I think I would save by missing deals while trying to learn and upgrade my site myself? 

I’ve been saving that extra income for future property expenses or emergencies, so I don’t have to dip into my personal funds.I also earn around $130-150K annually from my sales job, though sometimes I feel anxious about whether I deserve this income or worry about losing my job.

If you just look on Zillow, pick a random property, buy it, and turn it over to people you don't know to manage it, it's extremely likely that you will: have it cost a lot more than you thought, get overcharged for things, lose money, and have a big chunk of your savings just stuck in the property not really doing anything for you.Not to discourage you, or to say that you would do what these folks did, but here is what NOT to do OOS:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1137397-balti...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/963/topics/1195280-expe...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1160450-run-i...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/67/topics/1167190-strug...I hope this helps - happy to dialogue further. 

Since the landlord didn't lose any rent and there were no damages, I can't see any way this would hold up.If your lease is the standard TAR lease (I'm guessing it's not), there is a clause which deals with early termination.

It is a very clicky market in this one though, so it's a far bigger emphasis on who ya know than elsewhere, or to that of who your working with who they know. 

These days, I’m all in on Google Ads.One last thing is to start working with PROFESSIONAL wholesalers (emphasis on PROFESSIONAL).

I can give numerous examples of California investors I know losing money from buying in "cheaper cash flow on paper markets."  

It's almost impossible to lose with a house hack. 2.

ARV values are often over inflated and rehab costs under valued creating a lose-lose situation for an investor.

If they’re serious about closing, placing funds in escrow early and risk losing if they don’t close shouldn’t be a problem.