But I will tell you, you can in the right market with the right rental.

Try to find a seller willing to carry the loan or maybe give you a lease option which you can in turn lease/option to someone else, creating a "sandwich."

I'm acquiring rentals to help offset my income so I can eventually walk away completely or at least first change jobs to work less hours and spend more time with family, even if it pays less then the rental income will help there, but continue building my portfolio so I can in the near future retire completely from a w-2 job to enjoy life experiences with my children before they are all grown and out of the house.

That is what I thought, but now I can in turn communicate with the seller using that official terminology.

And that makes sense - would absolutely rather wait on a contractor that I’ve relied on before and that’s great instead of trying to get whoever I can in to do the work. 

I am definitely dedicated to learning all I can in this field, so I will feel intellectually involved with the purchases and can make correct decisions (I am sure much of this comes with experience). 

Educate yourself as much as you can in the meantime. 

Plus the other people who are getting those deals ahead of time have fat pockets and can close with cash.

So, buy as low as you can in a neighborhood that will yield you a nice ROI when you sell.  

I like that too because those are nice big fat proceeds  checks  they feel good.