Renting with your parents is so cheap, so you should try to living with them as long as you can to save more and buy bigger investment properties.

Should I install bigger, updated tiles for the shower and risk the mold mildew grout issue or just install a prefab, fiberglass shower stall? 

@Anthony White my first recommendation was to reach out to some local investors in the "Tennessee" forum here on Bigger Pockets but I see you already have one that has responded. 

Marines do not start thinking about their future until they get out; that's why i mentor my guys to think bigger and bolder !

@Ernesto Diaz Welcome to Bigger Pockets!

I came across the bigger pockets podcast and 6 episodes later, I’m here on the forum looking to soak up as much information as i can.

Is there a bigger pockets group started in Greer yet?

I used to do it for most clients (bigger ones excluded) unless I had access to an operating account of some type for them. 

"You've got to be bigger than your problems."

I have been wanting to get into real estate investing for a while but i didnt want to pull the trigger on any properties or deals until I felt decently educated, so I have been reading, listening, and studying as much as I can in the past year or so and bigger pockets has been a godsend.