You don't need to know everything to get started; you need a foundation to build on and the rest will come through experience and then refining your education.You can build a basic understanding of investing in 3-6 months.

They then sold the houses individually often owner financing and selling the notes to me at a discount.  

My experience is that it might be wise to hold.

Anyone have experience with a situation like this or any workarounds? 

I came upon a registered agent that greatly piqued my interest and was curious if anyone here had experience with them.

For example, a job with a builder will expose you to lots of things: land acquisition, new construction, renovation, trade experience and contracts, financing, permitting, etc.

I’m enjoying devouring the wealth of knowledge that gets shared here by all the go-givers on the BP platform and I am very appreciative for your sharing your experiences.

I am not a PM or attorney, however I have seen other owners just do individual leases for each tenant specifying the room and terms. 

FHA option has a lower down payment but I'll warn you that not many sellers even want an FHA offer in my experience.

This way, you can get a sense of the market and gain experience with your first property in that area.