Hopefully the permitting people are nice and will offer some guidance.  

I've listened to a lot of BP podcasts and other real estate youtubers, but most of those people invest in places where real estate prices are 3 or 4x what they are here.

You will meet a lot of great people here that will help you on your journey. 

Loan officers with 25 years of experience typically are more experienced, and have less time per file, because they have an abundance of files.Loan officers with 25 months of experience typically are less experienced, but have more time to devote to you.I can't write my own loans, so when I'm getting a loan I prefer working with less busy people when I'm doing my own real estate investment, they're more responsive and dedicated it feels like.

You will be sick, go crazy and not get it all done and your time will be wasted. 

Most people are happy just to not take a loss each month. 

I know some people feel like they need to invest in a course to hold themselves accountable or feel like they are doing something.

Here are additional comments:1) Buying out of state removes any local knowledge you have from assisting in your success, including knowing areas, people and costs. - We always recommend buying your first rental locally if possible and DIY managing to learn as much as possible before investing OOS.2) Lots of crooks and incompetents in the PMC world:( They both cost you money.- As already stated, you'll have a small portfolio.

If I pay it off, I could maximize cash flow earlier, reducing financial stress and allowing me to focus on other ventures or simply enjoy life more.On the other hand, I know some people advocate for keeping cheap debt and using the extra cash to invest elsewhere for potentially higher returns.Why I’m leaning toward paying it off:Security: No debt = peace of mind.Financial freedom earlier: A fully paid-off rental would give me a significant monthly cash flow?

But some (Dave Ramsey) people would rather have just a few paid off properties making just a little cash flow.