This will be my first pure investment purchase, my experience up to now has involved house hacking.

Your first move at 18-21 should be house hacking (buying a small multi-family and renting out units).

For finding my first properties, word of mouth and local networking worked well, plus reaching out to hosts on Airbnb with personalized messages.When pitching, focus on how you’ll add value (like boosting reviews or optimizing pricing) and avoid coming off too salesy.

All that is required is 4 weeks advertising in the local paper then call the sale on the courthouse steps the following month's first Tuesday.

There is a lot to consider before you buy your first property.  

Even with PropStream and PropertyRadar, I'm usually not the first to reach out upon seeing the lead.

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator – so, they often select the first PMC they call or that calls them back!

One of my quotes, "Repetition is the mother of learning," is that the more time you run analysis and comps, the easier it gets. 

Deposit rent into checking account, transfer excess funds into brokerage account, make money. 

However since this is our first rental, we are getting cold feet and suspicion that it might be a money pit or go wrong drastically.