Additionally, and I believe this is part of our mistake, is that this PM is owned by the family of a friend of mine (at the time I though it was a great idea, since I know them and trust them).

Your friend's post office sounds very similar to the property I own. 

I have a real estate agent/friend who is guiding me through the process.

Hi friends,I have a vacant, well-maintained carpeted property that I am marketing.Since 70% of tenants are pet owners, I feel that I am missing out on a large market.However, I also don't want the hassle to completely replace my carpet after a tenant with pets moves out.

And I can't really talk shop with my inner group of friends (other than the macroeconomics of CRE).Are there outlets for these types of conversations? 

Agents, even buyer's agents, are not your friend.

And any family and friends may have friends that have money.

@Gabriel A Camachoshort answer - no, you don't need to start with a mentor, and you probably shouldn't.some things you can do: go to meetups and join Facebook groups and start making friends and building a network. 

Quote from @Kristin Vegas: hi biggerpocket family. my name is cris and looking to buy a rental property in youngstown ohio for cashflow, i live in california and thinking in buy a property in youngstown ohio. anybody here investing there for cashflow if so, which area of youngstown is good and where to avoid. any friendly investor agentHi Kristin!

I have a friend who also invested with this guy and she's received some small payments irregularly, but a small % compared of what she invested.I'll follow up on the items you mentioned to take action on, I appreciate the input!