Hi All, and thank you for your help in advance.

By doing my homework, such as studying up on the Colorado contract and filling it out myself in advance of working with the attorney, asking questions of the attorney as a last resort after searching for information to the best of my ability, and clarifying my questions and sending any questions in an email, I was able to minimize time and pay less.

Thanks in advance.

Thank you in advance for your help in this matter

for example, buy a 2-unit, rent out 1 unit, and then rent all the bedrooms in the other unit to friends and sleep in the basement or on a couch.let's recapnot easy: house hacking in NYCeasy: buying sub 30K houses that will turn into money pits and won't advance your goals at all

I think they contain solid information and will help lay a good foundation as a beginner (Haha, I'm completely new to real estate as well, btw)I'm also going to be reading the following books, and hopefully I can finish all by the end of this month:1) The ABCs of Property Management2) The Advanced Guide to Real Estate Investing3) Long-Distance Real Estate Investing How to Buy, Rehab, and Manage Out-of-State Rental Properties (this might be the most important one to me personally)4) The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money DownIn addition to reading, I'm consuming crazy amounts of youtube videos, and I'recommend you do this as well.

Thank you in advance for any advice or guidance you can share!

If you respond, thank you in advance.... good karma is on it's way to you! 

Closer to the theme parks, I imagine the better for STR short-term goal.Thanks in advance.

An appraisal fee in advance for an actual appraisal is legitimate, but you can find lenders that don't require appraisals and don't charge appraisal fees.