That'll actually put you ahead of the game.

When you are within two years of purchasing make sure to have good tax returns to submit as lenders will want tax returns for last two years.Use the money you have saved and your tax returns to buy a duplex/triplex with an FHA loan and house hack.That would be my game plan in a nutshell.

Aloha Chris, you can do more than practice,  you get into the game with OPM.   

No experience and no skin in the game will also be an issue with the lender.

Outside of real estate and data science, I love board games, cooking, classic rock music and travelling (might travel around Mexico/Cancun if possible). 

A hot tub is always nice, and if you have a game room, that's good too. 

For example, you may have suspended losses or some other circumstances that change the game.

You have to have skin in the game.   

I would say to find a better property manager, but it sounds like you're leaning towards getting out of the game. 

Not sure what state you intend to get licensed in to start, but before you get too far along I would check with the Real Estate Commission to confirm that your end-game (AI decisions only, no human broker in the loop) will pass their muster.