It is always better to start with a multi-unit 2+ so that if something goes wrong, you still have one tenant to cover necessary expenses (mort, taxes, insur, etc).Also, major renovations are not a great idea for starting out as others said, especially out of state.

I've flipped about a dozen properties here in Chicago, and quite honestly, it felt like something different went wrong on each one of them.My biggest piece of advice is to KEEP IT SIMPLE starting out. 

Mind you, it's never wrong to bring any piece of information to the table but it's a good things to help putting it into perspective.

The soil here was clay so the digging even with excavators where they could use one was challenging. 

But like he said, f something goes wrong with ANY of the properties you have debt on, you might be in a pickle.

The vast majority of lawsuits against Landlords are for wrongful eviction, security deposit disputes, and Fair Housing Violations.

Admittedly, pricing will often account for any major items, and I don't believe this is true in Sandy Springs, but there are some areas that an interstate cuts off a small part of the neighborhood, and so labeling the neighborhood as "good" may be true for 90% of that neighborhood, but if you are in the 10% that is on the "wrong side" of the interstate, it can be a totally different market.

(this is a $30M project) and does not want to use Costar or Loopnet.This seems wrong. 

One of the reasons why I’m bullish on real estate investing is because I am more afraid of the “what if I didn’t invest” rather than the “what if it goes wrong.”Yes, I could fail and lose everything I started with, but I’d still be farther along than if I never started at all.I’d have the knowledge, skills, and lessons that only come from taking action.Every misstep is a step forward when you’re learning and adapting.The real risk isn’t failure, it’s standing still and letting fear hold you back.Take action!!!

But I feel like you really can’t go wrong with VA/FHA on any type of multifamily.