The swing up is festive but the swing down is pretty sad.

I would probably do your first deal by yourself to learn the trade, and then once you understand the ins and outs, go back to him for a future deal.

What about selling a valuable piece of art or trading card.  

If you go with a pro they will knock a tube out in no time, but your other trades won't be able to enter, or at least they should not, for at least a day.  

Every night while the resident is in bed, that little guy is whispering "concrete in the toilet will show him", "don't worry about breaking that door when you move out", ...So help this person out if you can swing it.

I don't know of any job or trade or profession where you don't need to adapt to new things, changes in an industry or practice, so education is always an ongoing process. 

@Susan Iwertz  Areas that can be affected by big swings in oil prices can be tough to predict.

"Normal" people are just as capable of trading in a car with a payment and buying something that they can afford to own...rather than afford to make payments on.  

If you are determined to go that route, you should probably aim for higher class, more expensive neighborhoods and trade return that way, so you will at least have some better principal protection.

Turnkey is trade off, like anything else - you give away a portion of your return to have a truly passive investment, just like you would if you invested in high-yield mutual fund.Now, the fact that turnkey is passive doesn't mean there isn't work - it's just that all the work should be done before you cut a check.