@James Wachob  Piggly Wiggly is an all time great for a name of a company or grocery store for those on the west coast who have no idea

This could allow you to build equity steadily, reduce the immediate demands on your time, and potentially refinance in a few years to access funds for future investments.Alternative Approach: Small Multi-Family Property: If you're open to it, a small multi-family property (like a duplex or triplex) can combine elements of both strategies.

There are some people coming back because there's a segment of the population who love living in the city and being walking distance to restaurants, stores etc. 

Again, the BiggerPockets store has some books on this topic, or you can learn about it by watching podcasts, reading blogs, and interacting on the forum.

The point of going into real estate is either as a store of value or to make money--you make money primarily through value add--of which the simplest path is rehabs-go with an easy one while you learn the process.  

And finally, while there are likely some pro accounts that will only give you discounts if you are licensed, most will let anyone sign up, and are often based on volume spent at that store anyways.

I just subscribed to Pro, but I seem to have 2 different accounts: one for this part of the site and another for the store.

I'm not crazy about the big box stores as they seem to charge too much. 

There will always be some uncontrollable variables because you’re dealing with both the human element with renters and houses are basically living creatures themselves and it’s not always possible to predict when big expenses will arise.

To replace the roof on a home with solar panels, to maintain the solar panel warranty, you will need to use their company to remove the panels, store them safely during roof work, and then use their company to replace the panels and make sure they are working again.