Hi @Justin Pumpr,You’ve been through a lot brother, and it’s clear you’ve gained valuable experience, even if the results haven’t matched your expectations.

Just like professional athletes who still work with coaches to hone their skills, a real estate mentor or coach can provide you with valuable insights, shortcuts, and strategies that can help you avoid mistakes and fast-track your success.

Are there any guidelines or best practices (ie: rewiring such a property would be more valuable than updating insulation).Is it something you need to ask the insurance company about to get, or is all this determined in the initial interview with the potential insurer?

One thing I continue to think about is how valuable 2-4 unit properties are becoming, and will continue to be, since Fannie/Freddie took the income restrictions from the 5% down conventional loan option for house hackers. 

I know I'm probably making mistakes along the way, but its been a valuable learning process. 

I see people without capital no experience or capital being taught to “help” desperate homeowners by tying up their property in a contract they have no way to successfully close without finding someone to pay more; costing the homeowner behind on their mortgage payments to lose valuable time that can easily lead to foreclosure; I see a program taught to students to take over a property ‘subject to”, leaving the seller unable to qualify for further mortgage financing, responsible for a loan secured by a property he no longer owns, and all held together by someone with 0 experience, limited or no capital, and no liability.  

For the record, I purchased (or got free) a book from Joe years ago called "Brilliant at the Basics" and it was legitimately a valuable resource that helped me in my business.  

Most property management companies are licensed realtors with extensive experience working with investors and providing valuable insights into their local market. 

There is a rigid curriculum but that's been probably the least valuable element to me so far. 

It's like a goldmine of valuable connections and insider info that's just waiting to be tapped.