Leather is a living material and it will dry out and crack if not maintained.Microfiber is a good choice like @John Underwood said.

In each category, note how much you are bothered or stressed on a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 = not bothered at all and 5 = stressed out: Pain Points Stress1 to 5 Pain Points Stress1 to 5 Unit turnover Exterior maintenance Advertising for available units Deferred capital expenditures Tenant screening rules Plumbing or electrical emergencies Tenant selection / discrimination rules Mortgage payments Documenting move-in conditions Bookkeeping and bill paying Documenting ongoing conditions Taxes and insurance premiums Dealing with tenant complaints Risk of late payments or non-payments Dealing with neighbor complaints Risk of property damage or vandalism Mold, termites and rodents Premises liability Interior maintenance Evicting tenants If your completed table has mostly 1s and 2s, then congratulations—you are a happy landlord!

It’s important to have a clear understanding of both hard and soft costs (labor, materials, permits, etc.) to assess your budget accurately.Projected Rental Income: Research the rental market in the area.

I read some books and saw the late night advertisements about real estate investing, so I was very interested in this type of property.

This means that the true Cash on Cash return would be 12-18% as opposed to the 30%+ that they advertise.  

I really thought it was a catch, and advertising hoax.  

Does it have material defects such as a roof, foundation, heating system issue etc?

many houses in the midwest, for example, are very old and need major rehabs.i personally think out of state investing is more difficult than advertised, and much more difficult in the current investing environment, with: prices high; interest rates high; tremendous demand for inventory, by both investors and retail buyers; and good PMs, contractors, etc. booked up.here's a really thoughtful thread with the experience of another CA investor and lots of different responses:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/1215726-break...and here are some threads about how it can very easily go wrong:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1159104-overl...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/963/topics/1195280-expe...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1160450-run-i...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1137397-balti...finally, you also said you "don't have a lot of money to start with." 

Nouveau Riche is the same even though I don’t think it is a true pyramid (not too sure though) they get you interested by advertising “RE investor looking for apprentice: 20,000.00†If you take the ad at face value one would be led to believe the “investor†was going to pay you a salary to help him with his business and teach you the ropes.

For his coaching he advertises that his coaches are paying members who are independent contractors & not employed by REtipster & that you are encouraged to evaluate them & determine their suitability for your needs.