Plus he is a guy who called the 2008 crisis with data instead of wild speculation used for personal gain (think Peter Schiff)6.

But the question on being represented by a realtor is completely different from the question you are trying to ask, which is should you buy something turn key or buy something distressed to fix up and gain sweat equity.

The general rule is that the more passive the investment, the lower the return.

@Carloz Gil I like stuff that mainly just needs cosmetic improvements to add value and gain some equity afterwards.

I do have ambitions for the future to establish rentals and even begin flipping houses once I both learn the industry as well as have sufficient passive income to do this full time.  

Quitclaim Deeds / Due-On-Sale Clause: This is a topic that's been beaten to death on BP and I'm not necessarily trying to re-hash that discussion but I am trying to gain some clarity on a point that was made on this podcast. 

Thank you both, seems like gaining knowledge locally is the best route to take

Conversely if for any reason the price the market is willing to pay for an apartment goes down yet an old lease is charging more, then this is called a gain to lease.Typically, in multifamily, gains to lease are rare because leases are usually 12 months or less.

Are we better off leveraging these funds to start our real estate venture immediately on a solid footing, assuming that in the long run (10, 15, 25 years) we will be able to compound and leverage our gains to build wealth far faster than we would waiting 5 years to save for an adequate down payment for our first property? 

Investing passively in syndicated real estate offerings can be a great option for some people.