On the other hand if you plan on more than one joint venture it costs less than 500 to set up an entity and pay for the licensing for a year.  

I wrote a check for the full amount and was handed the deed 15 minutes later.

Antoine,Thank you for your response.I have had some interest in investing out of state but want my first investment to be close to home so I can get some hands on experience. 

I love the ability to make my own decisions and not have added stress of other investors on one hand. 

In practice, on the claims I've done, they will hand over the additional amount once you have a signed contract to do the work.

Kevin Vandenboss For what it’s worth, every time that I’ve (personally) looked at portfolios there’s a handful of gems and some “dogs with fleas”.

As far as the walk through, that should be done either the day the lease would start, or the day prior, keys not being handed over until day of move in.

Yes, I'm willing to get my hands dirty and in regards to the financing, I was going to apply for a VA loan.

Don't forget the utilize the 70% percent rule and to subtract your rehab costs to determine your purchase price.Using independent wholesalers may give you the opportunity to find better priced deals, but you'll have to do much more leg work to qualify the leads as these groups will not hold your hand as much as the aforementioned. 

What you're trying to do is just hobble into RE with the hand you've been dealt.