@Josh H.Many investors believe/make unrealistic assumptions and often apply those assumptions to the wrong property classes.In our OPINION (always verify yourself!)

Is it even possible or am I being un-realistic in my timeline?

Maybe my disappointment was due to my inexperience and unrealistic expectations.  

RV parks are also very interesting and so are self storage.The problem with MF in the past couple of years is the demand pushing up pricing and the unrealistic proformas that investors were creating.

@Kyle ScholnickI agree with you that the numbers presented on many turn-key companies' listings can be way too optimistic, if not unrealistic altogether. 

I really want to get started on investing in real estate, but am I being completely unrealistic thinking this can happen?

I have found that their ARVs are unrealistically high, but their repair estimates seem reasonable.Their business model is identical to another Texas based company, so one of the companies is just copying the other...

(Des Moines is an area on my radar)   for example https://www.redfin.com/WA/Des-Moines/403-S-192nd-St-98148/home/338852  has been on the market a while so a semi-aggressive offer would not be an unrealistic move, though its probably on the "habitable fixer" end of things and I understand that with a child in school you may be a lot more selective about location,  neighborhood area etc.    

For example, I've been told that the 1% rule is unrealistic these days and was only relevant in 2016 and earlier.

If you ask them what the lead conversion rate is, they blatantly lie with an unrealisticly high number.