Study ALL of the self managers in your market and you'll quickly figure out who is the most qualified Enemy! 

Being able to enter all expenses, mortgage, mortgage interest, sewage, water, security , gas/electricity , cost segregation study to depreciate it  over 5,7,15 years as opposed to the 27.5 years. 

Hello everyone, I went to school for finance, worked for chase for a couple of years, studied for my GC license and got it.

Looking into the market, studying the local scene, and talking to people who have been doing this for a while can give you good tips on where to invest.Good luck!

Plus- you get live-in study buddies!

I've been studying the market and believe I'd be pretty decent at evaluating a loan.

You have No Credit, not enough Rent, want to study Real Estate Investing when you need to concentrate on your JOB and working up your licenses or skills to do what you are doing to make more Money and you have a big family.

Some things that helped me when I started were picking a market, learning about the different neighborhoods in that market, and studying sales comparables for 1-4 units in those neighborhoods on Zillow.Establish a criteria of what a good deal looks like, and what a bad deal is.

Do a comprehensive market study to locate areas that are likely to appreciate in value and have a positive cash flow from rentals.

The fact is you will never know it 100% and you will get caught up in analysis paralysis which human nature finds very boring after awhile.