There is a lot of training involved, it takes months (up to 2 years), and they usually like to start them off as puppies.

As a new investor, your best bet is to start small with an app like DealMachine or Propstream so you have direct control of your options.

Hope this helps you get started, and good luck with your first property! 

@Abigail Kingprimarily off market although, i've started to engage on on-market deals if i think they will fitvery difficult to find

If you can rehab and refinance (BRRRR) to extract all investment and achieve neutral cash flow you would have infinite return (most of my RE investments have achieved infinite return but the cash neutral has in particular gotten a lot more challenging when the rates rose starting Q2 of 2022).Any money extracted via a refinance is tax deferred. 

Lease options, and there are a variety of types of lease options, can be a good starting strategy for many aspiring investors. 

We need to start tracking the stats that count around here!

I'd say start the process of securing your HELOC if you havn't done so and spend time analyzing deals and determining what type of investor you are looking to be. 

I remember when Lending Home, now Kiavi started, there really wasn't anyone other than banks and private individuals that would finance a new build...and those were hard to find.

@Malcolm Brown it is great that you are thinking of the money to fund the deals you are going to get started with but understanding what a deal is, I think, should be the starting point.