Hello BP,Can anyone recommend a commercial (fixer upper) loan/ lender in the San Jose area? 

Ideally, we could find a brick industrial type building where we could rent the ground level commercially for about the PITI, and live close to rent free above in a loft like space.

Do your activities rise to the level of being a broker such that you need to get a license or else risk "brokering without a license" charges?

Real estate is a great addition to a portfolio but at your stage/level/income, you need liquidity more than anything. 

Indy could be a bit tricky to find fixer-uppers just because investors have saturated the market for so many years now that I'd imagine most of the fixer-uppers have been snagged by the turnkey companies, at a minimum. 

Which makes me wonder why here in Los Angeles there is an extreme housing shortage, rents are going through the roof, the state recently passed an law making Accessory Dwelling Units easier to build in an effort to mitigate the the housing shortage, property values are at a level at or above the housing bubble peak. 

Lance,Sounds like a good high level plan to me. 

The BP Plus or Pro level will give you way more general advertising, networking and search options to zero in on a micro level.

Bottom line, decide on your engagement and risk level first, and then look for an investment type that suits your needs best!

Full re-pipe and re-wire, full sheetrock downstairs (ceilings too), upstairs just new texture, all doors replaced, all cabinets replaced (upper and lower), all new flooring (enigineered wood, tile and carpet upstairs), etc.