I think it is important, for starters, to be honest with yourself. 

@Anthony Dooley  very true I had to do normal retail inspection fix's to get my properties sold.. about 3 to 7k per property to get retail for them.well this could also be starter housing ...

Cal only does cheap, single family starter homes.

I just never had the starter cash. 

But substantially less than you "winging it" on your own.Finally, if the mentor/partner idea is a non-starter, I'd suggest that you "get your feet wet" by loaning a portion of your risk capital to a flipper.  

It's a starter home.

Next I found a starter townhome with forced appreciation potential (finish the basement to add another bed and bath), and using the downpayment assistance, I was able to afford my first property.

My starter mastermind topic for tomorrow evening 4/18 will be attracting attention to your business VS the competition. 

Especially if this is a starter home I would personally look at the trade off of adding time to my commute for a couple years in order to get the best possible property.Ultimately, it is the combination of factors that will determine what is the best choice for you personally. 

Some tenants will stay rather than risk buying that starter home.