.,)  While these books may not really guide you to getting a license -- so I guess I'm not specifically answering your question -- they will broaden your real estate field of knowledge and should help you in your career in the long run.Other than that -- study, study, study the licensing materials!

Doing your homework and being conservative is the best way to impress a lender from your application.Footnotes: material costs, Subject to price increases.

I don't think there is much downside risk with the area however I think material upside potential in the form of ability to increase rents or overall neighborhood improvement is probably unlikely. 

A contractor usually charges 2x-20x times what materials cost depending on what the job is.

I am in a similar position, and my plan is to get to 20 units before I can even think about quiting.Two years might be tough, as you will be looking at quite a few units to get your ~$90k in passive income.  

While the 506c  certification is a pain for all involved, it does allow the platforms to advertise and it does allow for the open discussion of the deals outside of the portals.506b deals are easier to make the investment, but they do not allow any public discussion of due diligence materials and the portals will not even let web sites discuss returns after they are funded.  

The podcasts, forums, books, calculators, webinars, etc. have already been so helpful over the past year, and I'm hungry for new material to digest.

indeed, some areas of California can be a tough nut to crack, especially much of Southern California and the Bay Area for example...but sometimes you can drive to outlying areas and find far more affordable property.  

It would be a good material to start with.

it's tough to afford giving up that money early in this business.