You need a massive marketing budget, and you need to double close on the property, meaning you need the actually have the cash to buy the place.Flipping contracts from unknowing sellers to buyers is a shady business, illegal in most states, and has a failure rate in the high 90% range. 

Pickleball is a nice bonus, but a pool will increase property value more significantly and appeal to a broader range of guests. 

I would need to be able to charge at least 1k a month.i think Lawrenceville and Bloomfield is out of my price range.

We are sandwiched between well known hot spots and its an ideal location for someone who wants to explore the beach life or any of the down-town areas nearby (Los Angeles, Long Beach, Redondo, Manhattan, Southbay Etc), new build with modern amenities, washer/dryer in unit, full sized fridge, dishwasher, professional range cooktop, queen bedroom, full standing shower, large kitchen, full sized couch in the living room, private front patio. 

And it's the job of the investor to make the choice that's best for them.And yes, it's 100% true that many of those aggressive syndications also suffer from lack of sufficient transparency (and I personally find that unacceptable).

The meetups are casual and conversational, and attendees range for new and curious to seasoned and advanced.

Highland could be a good option as well, but it is more difficult to find a lot of good options in that price range, as well as having a slightly smaller renter pool than most of Lehi would have.

BP library gives a huge boost into the knowledge area which is pretty much sufficient to get comfortable in investing and help find a sweet spot where you could use your background to shift the area. 

But will it be a whole lot easier with interest rates in the 5% range though?  

Your experience could range from average to horrifying.