In my experiences, again from a while ago, while these individuals are technically licensed real estate agents, when I was leasing space for a landlord, I never referred to the tenant reps as agents.  

I'm hoping there are options that allow me to leverage the good rate on the assumable amount and not dedicate so much capital to the deal.

The rent cap and rate adjustment law in CA is not allowed to exceed 10% annually.

You also have a variety of price ranges, lending options, and markets that allow for a low cost to entry. 

The licensing process alone won't filter out the less dedicated individuals; it's the work that truly matters.

Being close to your rental allows for easier management and maintenance.

This single trick allowed me to exponentially save into my next real estate deal and so on and so forth.I also agree with @Steve Vaughan's sentiment above.... agree with about 99% of Remit's advice EXCEPT him saying that renting is cheaper than buying. 

North Park is a highly desirable area for a lot of travel nurses and they will pay more typically because they get an allowance for housing from the hospital.

Apparently Chase only allows transfer to LLC's if it's your primary residence?

A few years ago I got very interested in Real Estate Investing and connecting with anyone and everyone I could through local groups or individuals.