I keep the house at 62 degrees when it is empty during the winter.

100% Prioritize School.... but mix in REI as your hobby.Nothing can replace schools, certifications, degrees....yet.

Also, I'm starting to heavily favor negotiating for a home warranty coverage during the sale for investment properties since the warranty company covers (to some degree) many of the highest value systems of the house during the first year or two after purchase, leaving time to build up reserves.

And things did go south to some degree, in essentially every phase of the deal.

BP is *such* a wealth of resources for (aspiring) real estate investors that I feel like I could've earned a college degree in the past six months of binging on all the podcasts, reading the books, perusing the forums and blog...Does anyone know of a similar resource for contractors?

Debt to income will play a role but I was not sure how much of a hindering It would be or if the rental income would reflect positively and offset it to a certain degree.

You will most likely need a college degree. 

Lots of college time before her Masters degree gave her much time in rentals!

Graduated from Wartburg College with a Business Administration degree with a concentration in Marketing and Management!

Its only 3 generalized yrs on top of an art history degree then pass a pedantic bar to be called an attorney.