While I've been working on my personal finances, I've been trying to stay as educated as possible so that when the time is right I am ready to dive in.I'm very budget conscious and want to make sure that once I am ready that I am stocking away enough money for my first purchase and want to set an accurate timeline for it.

I would also plan on getting a mold test done by an environmental company before you close everything up.

Some case managers with Section 8 will go to bat for you, so try to establish a good rapport with them and the other folks at your local Housing Authority.Lastly, learn about CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) to make your property uninviting to criminals and safer for your tenants.

@Lacy Tilley agreed, you need an environmental company (who doesn’t do the remediation themselves) test for unsafe levels of mold.

Plus, I have a 40-hour W-2 job (environmental engineer) and a partner of an Amazon store. 

You would need to make sure in the lease they are liable for any environmental issues if they ever to decide to vacate the property or shut down the business.

As a new investor to MFH, I'm conscious of not coming across as genuine and I certainly don't want to waste anyone's time. 

There is an environmental / moral dimension to this, however, I can't understate the housing crisis in California.  

Our side of the street is still industrial though, and our neighbor, the gas company, has had ongoing environmental issues for decades.

“Breath Mike, breath…” He is awake and conscious, but clearly running on adrenalin.