It would be best to befriend a local contractor or even help one out on a job to see any differences from your past eight years doing it in another country.

Since I’m still in school I don’t have much money, I’m trying to learn as much as I can about real estate so that way once I get a job out of college and a steady income I’ll know what to do with my money.

.* Work Quality: Jenny never showed up to the house, she sent 2 people instead, she never mentioned she would not show up herself, she never asked for approval to send two others instead, they did not complete the job, and there were multiple unauthorized charges on my card.* Receipts and Expenses: Once I brought to Jenny's attention that we were 20k above budget, she refused for days to give me the receipts, saying that I needed to give her my credit card statement first.

What would be the best ways to familiarize myself with construction process, while still maintaining my W-2 job? 

Your job is in Dallas, you are owner occupied?

are areas worth looking into if you want a balance of family living and business opportunity.Texas PerspectiveTexas is a great market for long-term rentals, especially in cities like Austin, Dallas, or Houston, where population and job growth are booming.

Are you still working the 9-5 job or retired? 

This agreement is just like a listing agreement when you go list a home, you are hiring the right person for the job, so this is the same type of contract, but this person is hired to find you the right home. 

Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.Class D Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciationVacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560 (almost 30% probability of default), little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions.

We've got strong job growth (tech, healthcare, education), stable population growth, strong rental demand, and plenty of value-add opportunities in multifamily.