Over the decades I have witnessed how his brain is wired differently and how easily he can "see" problems and with patience and skill fix them properly.

My aim is to not only profit financially but to gain in the process some intangible assets, such as project management skills, getting to know reliable professionals (i.e. realtors, contractors, designers, etc.) for the long-term, getting acquainted with the local market's promises and pitfalls, and basically adding some entrepreneurial muscle going into my next project.My strategy is to go small: find a second-hand apartment in a good location (I don't have enough funds for a GREAT location...); no more than 60-70 m2 (that's about 650-750 f2) to, among other things, lower renovation costs; 1-2 bedrooms, street facing and with a lift (if said apartment is above the second floor); with good bones, i.e., needs only partial renovation.

Your strategy of learning more DIY skills is especially smart in Northern Virginia, where contractors are not cheap!

The apartments are about one mile from Augusta’s medical district which could make the apartments attractive to nurses working at the hospitals.  

You can do it yourself; the process isn't terribly complicated and doesn't require much technical skill, but it is a lot of physical labor, and you'll probably want to get friends to help.

Depending how much you earn you can step up those savings by getting a side-hustle in any part of real estate....working for a top Real Estate office on weeknights and weekends, working for an RE Investor, working for a General Contractor and learning a few skills, etc.

Only your work, dedication, skills, knowledge, commitment, consistency and time will make that happen.My whole point of this message is stop asking if a course is legit and if it works.

Being open and willingly embracing change is a skill and not an easy one to develop. 

I'm fortunate to have a great, skilled outfit that handles those things for me. 

Myself and a few partners (GP Team) have identified a medical office building that checks most of the boxes.