A substantially lower entry point compared to buying a property and you'll get hands on experience in evaluating properties. 

Getting rid of most or all of that debt may accelerate your credit repair.But still, keep a little cash on hand, so you can handle an unexpected expense.

I also bought a fixer upper to try my hand at flipping (definitely not for me) and it became my second rental. 

Other unexpected repairs could add to that.On the other hand, everything may be smooth sailing and you’ll have 17k of reserves in a year and growing.I would suggest you do some contingency planning.

For inexperience buyers, buying real estate is a complex transaction and they want their hand held by someone who does it day in and day out.

Best of luck on the test, I suggest doing as many practice exams as you can get your hands on.

You can make your $1,000 go further when if you were to write you direct mail letters by hand yourself.

The coastal biggies on the other hand bounced back many times faster to a point that they are out of reach for most investors now and that is driving the appeal of the tier 2 and tier 3 markets as potential investment opportunities.

I don't have the $ on hand , to pay for the repairs/renovation on it a HML seems like my best and likely only Bet  ?

It was a lot of work going through the process, but once I got my systems in place it's been pretty hands off.