Prepare to be tenacious to get what you want here. 

@Robert BishopTo prepare for your first real estate investment, build a strong financial foundation with a credit score of 700+ and an emergency fund.

I would like to think in a way that investment in general, and the real estate investment, start with a solid economic reason - "Why do you Invest, where you invested".To elaborate on below - Vegas is a great example where no real economic driver exists and when you invest there, you should be aware that is a highly volatile market (side note: i both 2 properties there in 2011 and 2012 and i sold both this year) and you should pay an extra attention and be prepare to reposition capital.It's clear, if you invest in Vegas or Orlando (just 2x entertainment cities) you will expect ups and downs and you need to position yourself with extra reserves and extra caution if you are planning to stay in these market for long term. 

Post on local Facebook pages for contractor referrals, go to local REIAs, and ask your potential agents and PMs (even if not using a PM at first...you may at some point).There is only so much that service providers can do and many of them are far from "experts"; so, be prepared to be your own expert at being willing to figure stuff out as you move forward.

As note buyers, we like to pay it off out of proceeds or be prepared too if the lender exercises their option to call it due for transfer.

At any time, anything can happen to a host and it's best to be prepared!

Buckle up, and prepare for total loss, or an additional capital call or two in 2025.

I've largely stayed away from the "sub-to" buz word, but I have done a couple sub-to flips knowing that I only needed to hold onto them a couple months and I was prepared to pay off the notes if they were called.Sub-to for long-term hold on the other hand has me nervous. 

In reality, you are never going to be fully prepared by watching YouTube videos on how to invest in real estate.

I'll just add, you need to prepare the scene before taking a picture.