Does any have any experience with that.

From my experience dangerous neighborhoods, as your parents put it, are best left to people that specialize in those or grew up in or live in those types of neighborhoods.

Experiences will vary significantly based upon location.

Not familiar with those markets, but here is my experience starting at 22 and what I regret after house hacking twice: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/922/topics/1133476-hous...

After talking with my mentor (He's a realtor with 20+ years experience) he suggested purchasing a rental property first.

I have no experience in those countries but I do in South Africa with there VAT. 

You don't need to know everything to get started; you need a foundation to build on, and the rest will come through experience and then refining your education.You can build a basic understanding of investing in 3-6 months.

In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

I have it narrowed down to two agents, one has more general experience in the area and are part of a large organization.  

On the other hand, I’m hesitant to simply pay down more of a property, as we don’t need the immediate cash flow.Fortunately, both my wife’s job and mine are recession-proof, which allows us to be a bit more aggressive with our investments.I’d really appreciate advice from investors who have experience with frequent moves or military service.