For example, I am not an expert in the world of stocks, and while it can make money, I would not be able to fully take advantage of the profits as someone who lives and breathes stocks.

Get in touch with @Shahan SiddiqiHe lives and breathes deals, can find you motivation 

in 08 I had a bunch of clients who were so far under water on their real estate they needed garden hoses to breath. 

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for 2009-2012 prices here in the valley.

Plan on saving extra as a reserve so you can handle problems that pop up after purchase and buy yourself some breathing room.Then start studying the market you're intending to invest in.

Yep you guessed it using your nose take a great big breath.

Most networking events with the big players happen in the daytime here and doing something as simple as delivering materials can offset a day or 2 of contractor work because I'm at the office#3 I love my tech job, but I'm not used to being comfortable for so long, its unnerving#4 I could try to change jobs to something that is more interesting, and could improve my negotiation/facilitation skills, but it would likely still not be my passion as much as real estate and training others...Plus it has more overtime potential (moving from programmer to business systems analyst would be my next career thought)#5 Realistically, I could only probably start out with 2 small deals with these funds and still have breathing room, and it would obviously be a gamble.

The over time is just to give me a little breathing room.

For instance ugly people are not currently as a enumerated protected class, so you are perfectly within your right to tell a renter "I'm not renting to you because I don't like your face,"  "you are too fat", or "your breath stinks"  or whatever arbitrary factor you want as long as it doesn't violate a protected class or a specific law. 

Showing up at random is a great way to monitor the property, but it needs to be balanced with the fact that they don't want the landlord hanging around or breathing down their throat.