Maybe begin with a simple buy-and-hold single family home or do a house-hack.

You better reach out to them days before the auction and give them a simple choice: allow foreclosure sale  to occur or allow you to take it over from them, with equity justifying your purchase.    

Simple question was Wagner representing you as the buyer ??? 

How about the simple obvious that the inputs to deliver the service/product have a base-line and market prices have, OBVIOUSLY, been at about as lean of operating profit margins as can be. 

Yes what appear to be simple easy jobs still take time , and we bill for time . 

Buy a few books, start simple, do your own property managing.

And as investors we should know this, but always anticipate higher costs and longer waits.EXAMPLE Breakdown of Costs:Plan Purchase: $1,500Permitting Fees: $2,500-7,500Site Preparation (grading, utilities, foundation): $20,000–$30,000ADUs require separate utility connections for water, electricity, and sewer but you can tap into existing utilities at the primary houseIn Raleigh you CANNOT split lots fee simple, so setting up completely separate utilities would not allow you to section off the ADU as of nowYour ADU must be on a permanent foundation (no wheels, no ability to move the structure)Construction (labor and materials): $100,000–$150,000Low-grade: $150–$180/sq ft averageMid-grade: $180–$220/sq ft averageHigh-end: $220–$250/sq ft averageLandscaping/Finishing Touches: $5,000Total Estimated Cost: $125,000–$200,000You could easily spend $200k+ with super end high finishes, custom designs, complicated sitework, adding a second story or more sqft, etc.

My core investing philosophy is pretty simple, and has done very well across almost two decades and numerous cities:1) Invest in cities with population (and job) growth2) Invest in parts of the city where household income is near the median (or slightly below)3) Invest in properties that provide cash flow from day 1 Thank you for sharing that. 

Miami is still doing well, Fort Myers is adjusting and has lower real estate than 12 months ago, etc..)My simple thought, for what it is worth, is choose a place to live and not invest in:  choose the location you and your family WANT to live in ( because of the schools, taxes, weather, other family there, etc...) and then buy and do real estate there (and get whatever licenses you need once you start third party management).I wish you well!

Read some books, preferably those written prior to 2015 when YouTube gurus started telling everyone how easy it is to buy 17 houses a year with no money down.Investing is pretty simple if you just follow the process investors were using since the beginning of time.