Well, in today's market I'd say the other big risk is inexperience. 

I am getting back in to REI after a long break and looking for mentor ship or anyone willing to offer their assistance to prevent losing on potential deals due to inexperience. 

And how would you do that, without shooting yourself in the foot with inexperience?

Getting my foot in the door has been a little rough due to inexperience , although I am now in a place where I feel I can break into it if I think creatively.

I'm trying to be conservative until I gain a bit of experience so that I don't get caught with anything unforeseeable due to inexperience and fail before I get started. 

As an engineer myself, I really love what I do, cons are traveling too much and spending way too much time away from my love ones (and that's basically what drives me to continue investing).Regarding your inexperience in REI, I would recommend to start small, get the experience to be a Landlord, and grow with time. 

What's amazing is to see everyone's willingness to share their stories despite any obvious delta in experience levels.  

You've already hired him knowing his inexperience?

Definitely have some background- but don't let inexperience stop you from gaining it.

Inexperience sponsers?