I would also like to explore Fix and Flips to generate capital to help attain more holds.

You can look at the annual rent revenue and divide it by the gross potential rent, to get an idea of what kind of economic occupancy the seller has attained for the past few years.

Current goals: attain buy and hold properties for long term cash flow/security. 

My goal is to own a property by the end of this year, but I have limited experience/knowledge/capital (<10k) - I believe it is attainable, but right now I am working to figure out how.

I'm thinking the 2% rule is attainable in markets such as the midwest.

I guess I'm trying to weigh what would be the best way to attain the right contractors for my flips.

Nothing wrong with him at all - but since coming to BiggerPockets, I've:- had my eyes opened to a much broader range of potential deal types and structures - including many who are ready to truly "partner" rather than my previous setup of simply being "sold to"- been impressed and grateful for the extent to which so many of you have been willing to answer questions I've posted on here and asked privately- gone through what I feel like is nearly an entire self-taught course on real estate investment (and no doubt with an absolute ton still to learn)- made connections with a number of you that I am confident will lead to mutually profitable business (I'll protect the names of the innocent, you know who you are)- found ample opportunities to leverage my funds - though clearly am always looking for more!

Agreed.Also, once your determine your desired RE monthly income number, include ample wiggle room for unexpected invents (Market Down Turns, Mass Vacancies, Personal Expenses etc).

You could attain an equitable interest by getting an option to buy their property.

Like @J Scott stated I would set some very small attainable goals that build up overtime.