I highly suggest you use our marketplaces to find trusted, investor-friendly team members: Tax Pro finder: https://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/tax-and-financ...Lender finder: https://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/lendersProperty manager finder (if you go that route and don't self manage): https://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/property-manag...

I couldn't understand why their credit wasn't better considering their income was what it was and their debts were not unreasonable.

You want to make sure the seller is getting their fair side of the deal but especially from a tax perspective, there are ways in which you can make it very lucrative for them.

Asset manager role would be to give advice on property that could be value added and increase the income on a property by small or big tweaks.

That said there are some nuances and requirements to property implement interest tracing so ensure you talk to your tax professional ahead of time and keep the funds movement as clean as possible. 

I'm also working on a Google Data Analyst certification to bring in some extra income while I'm home with our 19-month-old daughter.I'm still pretty new to this, though, and I'm not sure where to start or if I'm on the right track.

Quote from @Chris Seveney: @Jay HinrichsWhen I looked into it - I viewed it more as those who teach infinite banking etc (note that is not what tardus does - they teach what they call income snowball)Similar to infinite banking - it’s a strategy and you pay to learn the strategy - but whatever you invest in is up to you.

Same income, same credit, DTI ratio, underwriting requirements.

Tax liens in MD are good for two years. 

I am currently enjoying my 1k monthly income with no debt, and I am nervous about leveraging.