When investing in high cash-flow markets, I always recommend working with an investor friendly agent so you're able to gain the right insight on the different areas and the risks involved.

Are you planning on using your license to sell houses or help friends and family buy houses? 

Meetups + books + podcasts are the way to go, but meetups are the most crucial to your confidence level and to know people like you do this every day.I agree with @Nathan Gesner on the heads up, when you say you are new and want help, everyone has a pitch, that's why meetups are so good - most have no pitch, just networking, unless it's run by a hard money lender.I have a couple friends who invest in the Lehigh Valley that I can connect you with when the time comes.

I wanted to have a spot to rent out and cover the monthly mortgage payments while securing a small spot to have for myself in the next 30 years for when I no longer reside in Charlotte but want to visit friends, or downsize.

I may us a "friend" that has an LLC, but will not create one just to be the trustee.

This will help direct your search to the right areas, property types and price point.If you're purchasing all-cash, skip that step.Depending on your goal and preferred timeline for closing, the majority of your time should be spent searching for and analyzing deals.Searching: Look at public listing sites; connect with an investor friendly agent and choose 1 to work with who can search MLS and off-market inventory; for additional off-market options, consider growing your own database of wholesalers and homeowners Analyzing: Your agent can send comps and you can also search public listing sites for sold homes.

If you're just holding a single property, many start with online services like LegalZoom or IncFile, which are affordable and user-friendly.

Folks appreciate enthusiasm and genuine curiosity.A friend of mine, Alex, felt the same hesitation but decided to give it a shot.

If you want to optimize you could identify the busy season and make that STR friendly and then the rest of the year block it for longer stays.

There are budget-friendly self-management sites that make setting up applications and collecting rent simple and again, you can pocket that 12%.