@Mack Owens there are a very few actual Pros and lot of "Cons (namely con-men)" in... turnkey and yes; PUN INTENDED! 

The problem is that we only have three men in our in-house maintenance staff to service all 1,576 units, and many tenants frequently wait days, weeks, or even longer to get service. 

I know that the newer portion of the building is currently rented out to men that restore old cars and trucks.

Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

I too run into middle men when working with investors, i simply by-pass and go straight to the owners door step with my intentions.

I hired a man and wife, 2 pickup truck team, instead of 2 men and a truck it was one man, one woman and 2 trucks. 

You should start watching for good contractors and handy men. 

We are young and not so young, heavy, skinny, every ethnic makeup, men, women, highly educated and not so much, but all of us are interested in REI and nobody cares what you look like, just that we can see you, and know you if we were to run across you someplace.

For the men, the trap that they tend to fall into is "doing the work themselves".Now, can you make money by making houses "pretty" and "adorable"?

I've made some investments so far (401 (k), Roth, stocks, life insurance..) but it's time that I start investing in what I've always wanted to...Real Estate.I plan on spending the next few months delving into BiggerPockets...articles, forums, blogs etc...I want to start with an owner-occupied multi-family, and branch out from there.At this point I'm looking for any advice from the mavericks, the men/women who have been in my shoes at one point or another....Any and all advice would be appreciated.Thanks, heaps!