Having lived in Southern California my whole life, I live in a bubble and am not aware of the flipping market outside of my backyard.

The culture in our office is very supportive and promotes work/life balance, while still being competitive.

We value quality time with our family, are eager to explore the world through travel, and aspire to build a successful life and business together.

Why not look at something that can be potentially life changing? 

As a creative professional historically "allergic to math," I never thought I'd consider real estate investing, but life is full of surprises!

But trust me, when you find that architect that understand your processes, your life and projects will become exponentially easier, the projects will turn out better, and you will make more money in the end. 

To add-on to what @Russell Brazil detailed, there is some important life changes that can fast-track things. 

Life has thrown you some curveballs, but you’re already on the right track by focusing on learning and planning.

Build your confidence by knowing other real estate investors in real life.

These items will vary from DSCR Lender to DSCR Lender and can also be determined by things like your credit score, property type and its DSCR ratio, etc.  3% origination cost is very high for DSCR as well unless you are essentially "buying down" the interest rate quite a bit (trading fees for a much lower rate over the life of the loan)I have also been told by multiple people that I should create an LLC or Trust.