It means a lot because I have a strong passion and drive to reach financial freedom and I strongly believe real estate investing is the way to go.

Emotions are a powerful drug

I guess at that point it could be a matter of risk tolerance/staying power...a novice like me wouldn't necessarily be able to spot market cycles to determine the best time to jump in the market.

Leverage is a powerful tool if you use it correctly.

Keep going 1 more step to our financial freedom!

I'm not using my magical mod powers to delete your post because I cannot identify a specific forum rule that you've violated at the moment, but I have a little girl (as well as a wife and a mom and a grandmother) and personally do not like this post you just made at all.

Since everything has been moving remotely, the enormous fees agents have been getting has largely stayed in place due to the Lobbying powers of the NAR and belief that an agent can truly be the best financial option.  

There’s also the possibility for me to pursue real estate full time, so it may be beneficial for me to use some of my buying power and credit before I no longer have a steady income.

Also, If you can qualify for rental loans you can use the awesome power of leverage in your favor. ie. you take your $100k and put that as 20% down and borrow the other 80%($400k) for half a million dollars of rental property.

I'm trying to refine my deal analysis skill through trial and error and one problem I'm running into that is effecting my profit is when to decide if I'm going to be paying for water, power, and garbage?