If you are able to manage it yourself, I think you will get a lot of very helpful education in real estate by spending a least a year or two doing that.You'll be able to work with property managers a lot better if you've done the work yourself for a bit, and it also helps to get familiar with the various laws and regulations you have to comply with as the owner, even if you do have a property manager in place (e.g., the new RI rental registry and associated lead paint inspections/certificates).It's up to you whether you're able to do it, but I think you'll get a lot out of the experience if you can try it for a year or two.

Educate yourself with resources like The House Hacking Strategy and practice analyzing deals using tools like BiggerPockets calculators.

I am wondering if my first steps (past the education part) is to build a network of people who know, like, and trust me through posting content like newsletters, articles, podcasts, doing webinars, going to events (aka build my brand), or, should I first find a deal and then raise capital?

Upon further investigation, I found several more properties under similar circumstances.At first glance, it seems possible that these properties were either gifted to the nursing home by former residents or claimed as repayment for services rendered.I’m new to real estate investing, I’ve been in the education phase for the past 2-3 years.

We've put in a tremendous amount of work to make the RTR Academy community and education as beneficial as possible for investors of all experience levels. 

A lot of agents don't want to have to educate someone who is broke and has dreams of financial freedom through real estate just to find out you can't buy.

If that leads to a more structured and education based meeting, then that is great - if it remains just a place to gather and bounce ideas and network, that's great too.

Just to give you an education on the market -  the price of a good investment home in Phoenix is around $400K. 

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

So grateful for the education!