I've sort of been thinking that I might do a big renovation in a few years on the property I've had longest (nearly 15 years) -- it's the smallest house with the lowest rent, in the most rapidly appreciating neighborhood -- and then sell it. 

I currently have a Full-time job and I'm looking to buy my first home, want to do a "live-in flip" of sorts.

What sort of ARV are you targeting?

I’ve spent the last 13 years or so chasing the rabbit hole of success in the 9-5 world — successful I suppose, depending on the metrics you use to measure that sort of thing.A couple years ago, I dipped my toe back into the real estate investing world.

Buy or inherit and hold all their lives while working the properties for income.I've seen teachers, firemen, software engineers and all sorts of people utilize both strategies successfully.

For someone starting out on their first deal, I don't recommend doing a complete renovation unless you have reliable contractors or have some sort of prior experience.I would of chose a small multi-family property that need very minor repairs (which this type of property ended up being my second purchase).

Pleasure to meet you all and i'm hoping to learn a lot on here and maybe if i'm lucky ill find a mentor of sorts.

I'm sort of in the same boat - the property management is taking way to much of my time.  

The court order can come down within a few weeks and then a constable comes to kick the tenant out.There are eviction companies that specialize in this sort of thing.

There are various reasons the project may not qualify for financing:  owner occupancy percentage, one individual owns more than 10% of the units, the community is involved in some sort of litigation (usually construction defect), or the HOA finances are bad (underfunded reserves).