I only selected your post as the title you used is a good one, it means more new folks may search the "how to start" aspect and find my rant, so, again, not really about you but thanks to you.And, to be in real estate, or to be in the used car business or to break rodeo stock or be in similar rough riding business environments, new folks need to have thicker skin, understand my personality at times is just that of an old kick butt Army guy, I'm not here to teach Sunday School.  

. ;-)The choice is yours but this is a thick skin business and our egos our way too big to settle for vanilla posts.Tim

OUCH Angie- Don't be quite so thin skinned or you won't last on here.

As i mentioned i have about 30k in cash so i can have skin in the game but would need to leverage both properties to get to the total target amount i am shooting for. 

If you have no skin in the game and no track record what you are proposing will be extremely difficult. 5.  

Find someone that will give honest advice, preferably no one with skin in the game on that particular deal.

This is your best source of financing if you decide to leverage without hard money.There's many ways to skin the cat, but hopefully this gives you some detailed insight into the options available. 

I researched listened to the stories of people doing it, and all the while I heard how they started.. always with some form of money either in equity (I had very little, I bought my home in 2014), Or through a loan from a family member (I figured no1 was loaning me money until I had some skin in the game too), or like u said inheritance or savings.

If you have no skin in the game then it's a high risk investment.

They offer no credentials, no real service, they don't review businesses or have any skin in the game; It's an illusion.