Of course bidding quickly passed my 30k tap out point.I wanted to see where this thing went so I watched the rest of the auction.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

It depends on the area and property of course, but you just need to get a positive attitude and go do it.

As soon as you start taking refuge in the odds of the bank foreclosing you concede my point.By the way — do you have an interest in getting people to buy subject to, either through a course you offer for consideration, or from property you want to lay off? 

With MWU's nursing & medical school, you may find some opportunities to rent to a more professional crowd.

LOL.There’s a WORSE WAY and a BEST WAY to try to obtain items 1-4 aboveBEST WAY: College or Professional Association courses in real estate (real estate license course as a base) and work experience for a REIT or other professional real estate organization and capital saved or equity raised from private parties with a MODERATE amount of debt leverage and or utilizing creative financing with low interest rate debt (may be highly leverage)WORSE WAY; Any guru courses or mentorship’s combine with high interest debt. 

And of course you must reinvest 100% of the “cash” you receive or it will be taxed. 

I am not talking about a home inspection which usually says "get a professional opinion" which is what you should have gotten to start with.The other option is to join a local REIG and see if you can walk a few properties with members that are doing them and compare notes. 

Before buying, do an analysis of the market that lets you in on its dynamics, link the type of property that matches your set goals and is in line with the risk you can take, survey the possible financial options open for borrowing money, and finally analyze the cash flow of this business before engaging professionals in managing this apartment complex.Conduct thorough checks on possible properties, covering in-person checks, money checks, checking leases, comparing market prices, checking rents, assessing the condition of the property, and looking over legal contracts.

It's tricky in the beginning to get exposure to different asset types and therefore strategies, except in the academic sense via YT, BP, books & courses.