As for finding a good mentor (in Real Estate or otherwise) the trick is where to look and consciously being observant  I'll give you a personal example.  

On a side note, you should look at the Boulder area specifically, because you have a huge pool of ready tenants and all parts of the city are much more open to progressive (especially environmentally conscious) ideas.

I think you've pretty much nailed it here- you're no doubt making a bigger deal of it than you need to, and almost everyone has an element of fear -- conscious or otherwise -- holding them back.

If you plan on investing at home, just be conscious that while much of what you read and learn here is universally applicable, there is a U.S.A. bias and things will be differences at home in the areas of finance, regulation, and taxation.

That means, you have 50% equity (pause here while I regain consciousness). 

Alternatively, build in the cost of a cleaner coming to handle common area when running your numbers...helps the arguments over hair on the bathroom vanity + great marketing of amenities you offer (and makes your home clean for you if/while you're living in it on the tenants' dime).Just be conscious of the tenant base/mix, especially if you're living there.

Obviously I don't have a ton of extra money and sub-par credit, and I would want to be relatively conscious of the part of the city I am because of my need for several vehicles to be safely parked consistently.That's why I was considering commercial deal because I've noticed in some parts of the city the commercial properties are less expensive than SFH in the same neighborhoods.

We also did a flip in a neighborhood that was much more budget conscious, so her design did not get the premium we hoped for (thankfully, we still made money).If you do not want to do the research or trust yourself in finish selection, there is no harm in hiring a designer to help, as long as you budget for it.  

No environmentally conscious person will get behind this as a great new way forward.

(We are very covid conscious and maintain social distancing, etc.)