In my market, I only have one vendor qualified for appliance warranty work, and the warranty companies paid him half his standard fee for each service call. 

Is there anyone in your local market you could take out to lunch who does flips?

I know a little about the phoenix market and agree it is growing. 

Once you learn how to generate leads, marketing, negotiating, etc you can go be a solo agent.

Highly recommend partnering with a local realtor who knows the market. 

Renting to a friend can complicate things, especially if you're starting below market rent.

Try networking locally with HML's who know the market. 

You should start with a focus on a 2 unit multifamily property in a market that you can afford to get into. 

Welcome Surya, I work the Atlanta market.  

The time has come for me to start investing in real estate and before doing so i'm looking to build a strong and dedicated team of partners: agents, lenders, contractors and property managers mainly in the Cleveland area (but also open to markets within a 2-3 hr drive away) that already possess an excellent track record in their line of work and that value long term collaboration.