I’d appreciate any guidance or tips to get started on the right path.

Quote from @Robert Ruschak: Would you skip the 700+ single family houses and scale up faster into multi-family?

That shows real estate can be possible for anyone; in my opinion, I know everyone has unique and challenging situations, but in principle, anyone who can follow some basic budget fundamentals can save up enough for a down payment.Grateful BiggerPockets continues to bring more people into the industry!

The first apartments I rented as the owner, were previously rented by the former owner at $150 month including utilities. 

I’d be happy to connect to exchange more tips and ideas! 

If you consistently analyze properties, recognizing a good deal will be much easier when it shows up.

I'm so glad you found the post helpful.To answer your question, yes, certain types of homes and markets definitely tend to benefit more from full-service staging.

4.Tips to avoid similar issues in the future?

A good investor friendly agent typically does “driving for dollars,” from what I’ve heard, and they might have a direct line on off market properties.Eyes on the Future - At 19, you can stack up quite the portfolio over the next decade.

@Sean OToole    this is an interesting post Sean.