Brady,When I do my screening for new tenants I would weight the rental history the most.  

Like you, I’m diving into books and podcasts, but I also believe there’s immense value in learning alongside others and gaining hands-on experience.I’m in the process of connecting with like-minded individuals to create a community of new investors who are eager to learn, share knowledge, and even collaborate on deals.

Becoming a real estate agent is a good idea to gain experience, but you could also explore property management, wholesaling, or working with an investor to build your network. 

Starting with a smaller property or a few fix-and-flip projects can help you build equity, gain credibility with lenders, and better understand the process before scaling up.Securing funding for larger projects can be challenging without prior experience, but options like hard money loans might be worth exploring.

They also are thinking of getting a different PM to manage it after they can gain back control but would like advice on doing so.

There is realized gains & profits, and UN-realized gains and profits.

*As a side note, I think maybe it would be fun also to try and identify where new technology or machine-learning driven approaches could increase efficiency in the spaceAs for my financial situation, personally, I have around 50k saved but 20k of it is tied up in assets I don't want to pay capital gains tax on.

It takes time and patience, but the long-term benefits are well worth it.I’ve personally gained invaluable knowledge, listings, and deals from friendships I’ve built over the years.The more people you engage with, the faster you’ll achieve your goals!

You didn’t mention the property or deal specifics, but for many deals in the recent years, there have been amazing and unusual gains due to multiple unnatural circumstances.

It sounds like you navigated the challenges well and gained valuable lessons for your next venture.