There's a starting point for everyone - high income, rehab skills, etc.

There are a lot of ways to get into real estate depending on your skills, goals, and time.

I would suggest if you have put your mind to it, enhance your skill set and learn the rules of the road and try small.

(and if you do, holy **** did you get lucky, and imagine what you can do when you PRACTICE your skills!).

I would 100% start attending some local meetups or builder groups.I have always found my partners pretty organically and given your skill set & background I think you bring a ton of value.Investing closer to home and having boots on the ground is always easier to get started.

People talk about the headache of being a landlord, I know people that have done it for years and had no skills and limited knowledge.

That's what a good GP should be able to offer and if it's not something you are ready to provide, keep working on honing your skills before you take other people's money.

Some first time home buyer with overoptimistic DIY skills and a gross underestimation of how to fit 500 man hours of rehab into a few weekends will pay list price. 

. :) But you learned valuable skills and as I think we both agree the deals are done in the brokerage houses.. at least if you want to make bigger dollars quicker.

Your friend doesn't have the knowledge or skills, so I highly recommend he hire an attorney.Since the tenants claim they never received notice, that means they never received the offer of free rent for December and January!