I have read a few books on real estate investing and wholesaling however I do not have a mentor which I feel may hinder me when starting out.

If you don't mind the occasional mini-road trip and you have confidence in the tenants/team you have in place, it shouldn't hinder you.

I would definetly always look to make my debt more efficient and its nice to be debt free but not at the cost of hindering growth.

It's possible that the degreaser used might not have fully cleaned the surface or that there were some contaminants left on the cabinets that hindered paint adhesion.2.

Although the cost of the homes vs amount they are being rented may hinder that.

I think it depends on how much your debt is, what interest rate it is and if the debt is hindering your ability(I.E.

My mom would love if we took over the house but I don't want to hinder her retirement plans in 3 years.Any thoughts are appreciated.

2) Is this going to hinder you from buying more rentals? 

Further that payment reporting to credit could hinder your ability to finance a rental property because of DTI.It doesn't take $80-120k to get a rental in our market- it takes more time and energy to chase down a good deal.

If so, do you feel it helped or hindered your start into REI.