If real estate excites you and you see more potential for growth and flexibility there, it might be worth exploring further.

I know that being an agent has made me a better investor.Like @Nathan Gesner said property management is also a good avenue to explore for a W2 job and great experience in managing property (landlording).

Is this hypothesis worth exploring? 

I'm a "newbie" by definition with one duplex under my belt but would be interested in meeting up as well to share stories and explore opportunities.  

If I had a chance to get a mortgage in Spain I would definitely be interested in exploring more!

I'd love to know which ones you've tried, which you prefer, and any tips or advice you might have for someone exploring these options.

BiggerPockets is a guru at what it does for BiggerPockets and it's free to chat and explore new ideas and relationships.  10K is a drop in the bucket if you have the desire and will to make that turn into 500k, so don't get twisted as passive income you will not work for and make mistakes.People charge 10k for single-family wholesaling I have looked at many programs as I didn't know where to start and think of the mistake I would have made if I bought the wholesaling program. 

I’m exploring seller financing and looking for recommendations for (1) a real-estate attorney, (2) CPA.Thanks!

Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

Once you stabilize the property with a tenant, you may explore a cash-out refinance to utilize the increased home value for additional renovations.