I know its exciting to get that first one under your belt.

As I would expect from most newbies I am very excited about the potential and already have a couple deals under my belt.

@George Blower thank you very much for the information.  

Being that your fairly young you could house hack in your area and change your primary residence every couple of years and only need to put low money down each time within the five years you are talking about you could easily have 3 properties under your belt as buy and holds that will help you produce that long term wealth and this is really low cost entry to build your real estate portfolio.  

I think I will hold off on getting a license and might reconsider it once I have a few deals under my belt. 

Then, you will have your first experience and deal under your belt.

Before I start my investing journey or during when I have a couple deals under my belt?

Or is it truly a necessity to start small and get a 4 or 6 unit under my belt to prove myself before moving up to bigger deals?

You're losing money each month before you even factor in Vacancy, Repairs, CapEx, or Management.It's one thing to make an appreciation play when you have 20 years experience and a few hundred cash-flowing doors under your belt.

However, I agree with Account Closed those numbers dont quite sound right.The hardest deal is always your first so get that one under your belt and then you will be off to the races.If you end up closing on the deal and are need of any rehab or maintenance assistance definitely hit me up and I would love to help you out.