Read as much material as possible and go to some local RE meet ups.

You are reading the right material already.

Yes, you personally aren't living there, but with high crime comes unqualified tenants and high maintenance costs (stolen materials, broken windows, etc.).

Here are a few alternatives to consider for your next property:One option is debt-service coverage ratio (DSCR) loans, which are specifically geared towards real estate investors.

Our thought is a bunch of $.06 per minute charges on your credit card would be too many line items on your CC statement, so by default the system will reload your account in $50 increments (you can change this to any increment)In the dialer interface, I thought we displayed $99 for unlimited minutes as an add-on to the main app as an alternative to pay per minute.

Sometimes the contractor will put a % on the top of the materials to source it.2) what's your range for remodeling a bathroom?

It kind of seems like you are looking to call their bluff but that only works if they are raising rents above market and you have an alternative. 

Establish an emergency fund and target stable long-term rentals or short-term rentals in markets you understand.House hacking or private lending can offer alternative entry points depending on your risk tolerance and hands-on involvement.

I don't work on houses, but I have to use B and A-basis values for material strength which in effect means the real material will end up being 20%+ stronger (depend on the material).  

Take advantage of the lower downpayment programs early on and once you are tapped out of conventional loans, I would consider alternative financing.