However, I also want to be as prepared as possible, leveraging the guidance of those who have successfully navigated this path before me. 

So I picked up a few books which includes, "The Book on Investing In Real Estate With No (and Low) Money Down," and "The Book on Rental Property Investing," both by Brandon Turner, which introduced me to the BiggerPockets community.With a decade of experience in property management under my belt, along with my property management certifications and an NC real estate broker’s license (with Broker-In-Charge designation), I’m eager to leverage my background to secure long-term financial stability for my family.

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.

My goal is 25 doors in 5 years, my struggle right now is deciding to either go back to work and save up money to continue or come up with a way to leverage financing to stay afloat myself and stick with it, waking up everyday 100% dedicated to my real estate. 

Quote from @Jonathan Chan: I used my Mom's to help her retire by becoming a lender on real estate projects, but curious to see how others are leveraging their SDIRA.  

Read a few books on real estate investing to learn the power of leverage.

You really should never leverage the home you live in.

You might get these days 60% leverage so you'll likely need 40% down payment plus reserves and the financial institutions will want you to keep those capital reserves in their institution.If you are a new investor, there's a couple of opportunities to get started. 

Focus on understanding the rental market, conducting thorough property inspections, and leveraging owner-occupied financing options like FHA loans.

However, there are ways to leverage SBA loans so they can buy a new primary and then look at their current property as an investment property and secure a DSCR loan to redevelop and rebuild.