It is not very difficult or complicated to evaluate commercial real estate, there are plenty of good books available that can teach you how, textbooks, online courses, community college classes, even excellent youtube videos etc, and it is actually quite enjoyable in the process to learn.

Canada side, you have for example 5333 College Cres.

This is a practice by some less than reputable companies.

Holding investor funds without a clear and reliable process for withdrawal reflects poorly on RAD’s reputation and calls into question the ethical nature of its practices.

I'm in a drive to beach market so I'm on it but I would think college towns, mountains etc. might be similar.

There is a formula that you must follow if you want to perform, having a realtor who knows the market inside and out and practices what they preach is an absolute necessity. 

I will not comment as to the tax laws and underlying rules - that is a discussion you can have with your tax advisor who presumably you are paying to help you.What I will do is provide practical and business guidance on tracking time.Firstly, there are apps available that can assist with time tracking where you can specifically detail your time, who you met with, etc.

Issue is, in these "bad" deals the government comes after the lease option seller for predatory lending practices and the eviction / foreclosure process is a nightmare.

The great thing about living in a high cost of living area is that your salary / wages are hopefully also very high.If you are a new college grad, I would focus the next 1-3 years on increasing your salary as much as possible(gain new skills, new certifications, change employers, etc).Once you make more money, you can easily get in a position to buy a property on a more frequent basis.Best of luck!

Personally for what people charge for these programs I would say you are 1000x  better off taking some courses at a local college, getting a degree and working in real estate to get paid for experience and then do real estate on the side for your own portfolio as well.