It’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed when starting out, but it’s great that you’ve been saving and reading up on investing.

He tells you to pay him $5,000 (or much more) to learn all the "secrets" that made him wealth, but then he doesn't tell you that his "secret" was to increase earnings, reduce expenses, save up and invest.

When you add that: "The downpayment and closing costs would be one large hurdle"; I can't tell if you can only afford to do this once (thus tying up whatever you have saved) or multiple times.  

Literally to save their lives.

Quote from @Burke Atkerson: With over a decade of real estate investing experience and over 100 flips, I now provide private money & hard money loans.

Do you have a current need for that cash flow generated from the tax savings?

Private Lender Partnership: Partner with a private lender or investor willing to take a second lien position to get you to 85-90% cash out.

Now I'm banned for spamming and while I'd like to handle this privately I'm blocked from the messaging system. 

It is your first year when you get the major tax savings windfall due to cost segregation and bonus depreciation.

A good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.You may want to consider working with your accountant remotely to expand your options.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.