I'm looking to cut the fat so to speak and go from information overload to forming a game plan and getting started.  

To make sure they are saleable, they need to conform to certain rules, just the way whole milk has to have 3.5% fat, whether you buy a quart or a gallon.Portfolio lenders do not sell their mortgages notes.  

There are a lot of topics in your post, but I would agree with Travis here that you are better off leveraging for as long as you can. In

@Karen S. for interior work you can (in my area) "encapsulate" the lead paint with oil based primer.For the exterior you will need a certified lead based painter who will follow the rules.

I am very passionate about it and love it, most of all learning and doing everything I possibly can in the field.

These days I try to pay to do things that are getting harder for me to do - get in and out of crawlspaces, because I'm getting old and fat, for example - or are too labor-intensive to take on.

Then find the best mentor you can in that kind of investing.

Now that it has been clarified that I can buy the property as a second residence, the lender I was using can, in fact, offer me that financing.

Oh yeah, assuming you want to create passive income through rentals, network like crazy with all the landlords you can in your area.

If there is any way i can help any of you in the Glendale/Pasadena area, I would love to connect with you and offer what help i can in exchange for learning the ropes from you.