I've been playing the long game and will continue to do so, but what I am seeing is that my road is just more challenging than my sister's was and may not have the ceiling she had. 

Being new to the LA market, I'm looking to partner with someone who has established relationships with local contractors and/or experience with creative financing.

If the person wants to play stupid games: two years.

Eliminate debt, establish a budget, and save.

Being consistent is essential for establishing a successful thought leadership empire.

An LLC can help protect your personal assets by limiting liability, and it also allows you to establish business credit early, which can be useful as you scale your portfolio.

Establish a solid reserve fund (3-6 months of rent) to cover unexpected expenses or vacancies, which are inevitable over time.Make sure you're well-versed in local landlord-tenant laws to avoid legal complications.

At this point, they establish the total town budget.  

The small market size and relationship-based transactions make it difficult for new or smaller players to participate, which aligns with the earlier observation about the lack of services for individual investors.Overall, this market seems to present challenges for growth or democratization, as its current structure favors established, well-connected players with significant capital.

This will be a long term game plan.