Your strategy of learning more DIY skills is especially smart in Northern Virginia, where contractors are not cheap!

Like any business it is good to assess one's skill sets. 

You can do it yourself; the process isn't terribly complicated and doesn't require much technical skill, but it is a lot of physical labor, and you'll probably want to get friends to help.

Depending how much you earn you can step up those savings by getting a side-hustle in any part of real estate....working for a top Real Estate office on weeknights and weekends, working for an RE Investor, working for a General Contractor and learning a few skills, etc.

Being open and willingly embracing change is a skill and not an easy one to develop. 

I'm fortunate to have a great, skilled outfit that handles those things for me. 

I'm going to take my time, learn the geography, the players and to your point hone my skills in one niche before pulling the trigger. 

Hello Travis,Firstly, I am keen on pursuing opportunities to fix and flip properties, leveraging skills and resources to maximize returns on investment.

Just like everything else in life, get started, keep honing those skills (i.e. keep reading, keep learning, keep attending the meetups) and watch yourself get better and better witch each property you buy.I hope this helps and good luck on your real estate journey!

The deal seems great at first then things get a little more difficult, market gets hard, your skills get better and the list goes on.