The price they're asking is a pretty big initial commitment at first, especially for someone who's just starting out.

While looking into how I can actually accomplish this, I realized that I need to be able to have the time to truly commit to it and therefore I need to achieve financial freedom so that I don't have to work a full time job.

It is reckless to commit any savings to investing when your future is uncertain.

I would have never committed to a prorated rent up front.

(I am new at this though, so I think that time commitment will lessen as I get more comfortable with things.)And for what it is worth, if you do buy a fixer-upper, I think it's a good idea to manage the property yourself.

@Ronald Rohde: Either I was misunderstood or didn't explain myself well enough when I said 'flat concrete roof' - I don't mean a true flat roof, I only meant instead of the curved concrete tiles (used to be clay originally) that characterize the Mediterranean style, which would not be in line with the styles prevalent in Texas, and I meant that possibly they could make roof tiles flat instead of curved, therefore look similar to composition but last much longer. 

Commit to the process of becoming a regular Pittsburgh investor, hang out here on BP with the Pittsburghers, study the city, its history, its culture, and its strangeness, and eventually you will be richly rewarded.

I’m fairly new to Real Estate but I’ve been committed to learning.

I'm fairly new to Real Estate but I've been committed to learning.

I mean you can do all that without a license but if you want to commit to RE, getting your license could be a good start while you Uber (and if you haven’t found an IT job).