I am using OPM as meaning the use of funds other than my own to replace funds I would otherwise need to complete an acquisition using standard financing.  

I am looking to start Real Estate(primarily focused on House Hacking and SFH if it goes well) as an engineer after graduating.

I turned around and contributed over $500K to close the purchase of the two replacement rental properties.

You can’t pay the plumber or the ac replacement bill< or anything otu of your pocket.

For example, you may buy a property today and budget money for capital expenses each month for the next 5 years until finally you need to replace the HVAC.

No matter what you do, you cannot replace the value of boots on the ground so the next best thing(in our experience) is spend some time down there, interview some potential handymen etc. and forge a relationship, we have multiple that we have connected with in person and when you make a personal connection with them they will take care of your property better, especially in an emergency situation.

You could try hiring a structural engineer to do structural drawings for the house

"Dusk-to-Dawn" electric eyes and timers can be helpful, but don't replace personal surveillance. 

The search engine is pretty bad, so you may consider searching Google.

Example: replacing the bathroom vanity.My question: If I were to take pictures and a video of the thing needing repair and show it to someone at Home Depot or Lowes, would they be able to guide me on what to buy and what to do?