Contact your title company you've chosen, ask them for a brief walk through of the process.

I am very new to real estate investing and I have chosen the niche of flipping houses to start out my career with.

I'm having a blast poring through the vast collection of information, albeit a bit overwhelmed. 

The key is to learn your chosen market (or sub-market) like the back of your hand!

I have never chosen a property because of a tenant but I have ruled out marginal properties because of tenants ("drug dens" and "hoarder houses").

The plan would be to house hack a small multifamily unit for a year or two, and to continue to purchase investment properties in our chosen area with the end goal being moving back to California and having a property manager take care of those properties.

When I type professionals I mean these people know details of their chosen profession that their clients don’t, because they are experienced in a vast majority of different scenarios that clients are not.   

Finishes are chosen by you, as well as design materials.

However, if I could go back, I would have done a few things differently -1) I would have chosen a condo with lower HOA fees.

MIke,Here is a blog that I wrote about how to select a PM:Hiring a property manager is an important decision, and can be an asset for a property investor, but can also be a detriment if not chosen carefully and without some due diligence.