Luckily my buddy is a good shot at close range! 

Luckily Michigan is one of the states that tends to cash flow  better than some others so whether you are in the 50k range or the 150k range you can still find strong cash flows   I would recommend discussing your ideas/strategies with a local realtor and a local lender.

@Caleb Heimsoth They range from $97 to extremely expensive lol

I've heard people mention credit cards but I'm not a fan of the interest rates.I did, however, look up personal loans through companies like LendingClub that can do the lower amount I would need and the interest looks to be in the Hard Money range.

If you do not have capital nor experience, but sufficient ambition, a path may be to find a successful investor in your area and see if you can trade labour/skills for the opportunity to be an understudy.

Being notary public should be sufficient if this is profitable activity, you can also use your real estate agent activity once you get your license. 

Some added thoughts....In the price range you are looking at you are going to be the rougher neighborhoods, and the homes will likely need work as well.

Your goals and plan usually has that information and the range of each one like positive cash flow, cash on cash return, net operating income that includes debt service payment. the positive cash flow on day one of your ownership, and the items you mentioned, the type of parking and on-site and nearby amenities are very important as well as the first impression of the subject properties. 

Were all those properties 5.5 miles away and were they all in the $125K range?

Initial offering prices are dropping (slightly) in this range and houses are on the market longer.Observation 3.