If you have the education under your belt (ie books, podcasts, blogs), the reserve funds, and the backbone to be a landlord then you should be able to succeed as a landlord.

I know the bible belt is a good place to start.

You're not going to get rich overnight with this, and there's a good chance you keep it as a rental, for a while or for several years, because the ARV just might not be there relative to your purchase price and what you put into it (it's your first one, so all your rehab estimates are wrong anyways), but boom now you've got a deal or two of experience under your belt that the HML like to see.

One lender said they cant finance owner financed deals and the other lender thought I needed to have 2 years under my belt in order to qualify (I started investing in real estate about 1.5 years ago since acquisition of first property).Any advice?

@Marcos Castillo I only have a couple deals under my belt so take my advice with a grain of salt.That said: if you find a great deal for a rehab to flip, don't let a high interest rate scare you away from a hard money lender.

If a house (I live in the rust belt, so adjust these numbers to your market) would sell cash for 75k, would list for 89k, might lease option for 100k.

Hello all,I am a Realtor in Florida and considering adding property management under my belt through my broker.

I’m pretty new to Bigger Pockets and the real estate investment world but eager to learn and get more experience under my belt.

If you are local to the Athens Ga market and have a win or a bunch of wins under your belt please share your story.How did you find the deal? 

Those areas and rural areas are last to recover and first to decline on the economic cycles.You are in a cold belt state.