Does anyone have any advice for people starting out in this competitive field?

Have recently started a renovation company with a friend, both of us successful business owners and talented in the trades.

Engage an investor-focused realtor/broker in your preferred market (this is not a residential realtor) and start 'tire kicking' the market and properties that fit your criteria.

As you're just starting out in Austin, focus on learning the local market, particularly areas with good rental demand and lower entry prices.

I didn’t expect them to cashflow when I got started.

BiggerPockets is full of resources designed to help you along your journey, whether you are just getting started or a seasoned investor.

Over the course of using Bigger Pockets I have had very degrees of opinions on who I should vote for concerning a post.When I first started using Bigger Pockets, I was too naïve to even think of voting for someone that took the time to answer one of my post.  

Scott as a starting reference.

Happy to chat further if you want to reach out to me with a DM.The last thing I would tell you is that, I started my real estate journey with a house hack of a 2-family property in 2011 using bank financing.

This past year they have started paying rent late to the point where the total accumulated time is about 3 months of back rent due.