If there is one thing I would do different is: I would invest Out Of State in markets that had sustained growth, strong job numbers, were safe and desired, and had favorable Landlord laws. 

Do you have contractors to get the job done? 

I'm falling way behind my plan, and with my W2 job becoming unbearable I want to accelerate my RE efforts. 

Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.Class D Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciationVacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560 (almost 30% probability of default), little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions.

I’m an CPA working in the audit practice and dreaming about starting a real estate investment path for me an my family.

I've heard of mentees who started cleaning up construction areas on a flip at the end of each work day or picking up supplies at Home Depot and delivering them to the job site.

I'm sure there are plenty of paid mentors and coaches out there, but from personal experience its been the on the job 1 on 1 time with someone doing what you are trying to thats been most impactful to me.  

A really nice home with some extra touches (a little granite, better flooring, nicer paint job, nicer cabinets, etc.) compared to the area will make potential tenants fall in love with the place.  2) Tenants that bring or can swing their own appliances are more financially stable (or just stable in general, ha!)

Owensboro, the state's 4th largest city, has a population under 100K, and many OOS investors prefer cities with at least 300K residents and strong job growth.

STR's are a job.