After talking with my mentor (He's a realtor with 20+ years experience) he suggested purchasing a rental property first.

It also provides an opportunity to interact with the buyer.

In addition to public Service Jesse Brewer is a real estate broker with over 20 years’ experience in dealing with rental properties both as an owner / manager, but also as a broker selling them.

We aren't that big as we only have 5 properties/7 doors but it has been a great experience for us and we aren't looking back. 

So, we network and build, and then learn, based on our past experience, how to analyze more efficiently or how to shrink our buy box.

I think I'll start out where I live and probably branch out outnof state once I build my knowledge and experience. 

This comes after a bad experience with another administrator I was with for about a decade. 

I imagine there’s a different dynamic with tenants sharing common spaces, so I’d love to get your insights on how to manage this aspect effectively.Thanks for sharing your experience, looking forward to learning more!

Ask how many units they manage and how much experience they have.

Maybe they bring the experience and provide the funds.I don't like any of your options based on I think you are too new to investing in real estate to take on any of those.