I only spoke with one person so far and they scheduled for more information gathering/ rental investment calls from them this upcoming week.

On more than one occasion I’ve talked with a person or two that was offering real estate coaching and I found out very quickly that either it was not what they were advertising or they was not far enough along to be coaching anyone except maybe a complete newbie or maybe it wasn’t the strategy for me.Anyway, that’s my ramble for this morning.

Shadow/mentor a person doing it.

Ideally you would put only one persons name on the mortgage unless you absolutely had to have both to qualify.  

It’s usually best to open a separate business checking account so your rental income and expenses stay organized and away from personal funds.

Any insights, personal experiences, or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Don't talk yourself into a place because of personal use.Buying a $475k condo that brings in 35k in gross rental income will lose a lot of money.

But it sounds like you should also balance your decision on what fits you and your families preference and style since you will be using it personally. 2.

We would want to use it for personal use probably one per year. 

I've personally driven this neighborhood and was amazed at how nice and clean it is.