I have been reading as many Robert Kiyosaki books as I have been able to make time for and feel I have a decent grasp of RE investing, yet I feel apprehensive and somewhat lost surprisingly with how to get started.I recently declined a subscription to join the Rich Dad Coaching sessions due to funds (way too expensive) and have decided to stick with other means of learning the business by way of conversations with people that have had success in RE investing.  

Find a property in pre-foreclosure with decent equity (<75% equity, lower is better) that has NOT gotten to the auction phase yet.2.)

I think that they could be decent investments over the long run but I am beginning to think that by the time you are done looking and analyzing all of the different properties you would be better off just working some overtime or more on your business (non-real estate).  

One deals with just basic stuff like plumbing or odd jobs if I'm not available, the other does appliances and anything where I want a half decent job.Then you have your contractors, AC company, plumber, electrician.

In my area, local banks are hungry for small apartment deals and they'll be happy to work with you if you have a decent deal.I'm a bit late to this but if you take a pro forma of the 6 unit to a lender I'm sure they'd give you a pre-approval letter.I've also never been asked for that though unless the seller was a large bank/ government agency.

I can 1031 until death.....but if I just keep holding on and using my equity isn't that a decent strategy.  

I make decent money, so I don't believe I will have trouble qualifying for a second home loan.

Make absolutely sure you ONLY deal with lenders who specialize in dealing with investors, and let them know you want to be able to keep building - that this is not a one-shot deal.

@Brett Snodgrass  Your post is like that of a man who complains he can't find a decent girl yet his favorite meeting place is at a bar. 

My strategy has been to look for (1) flips that have been on the market for awhile and (2) otherwise decent homes that have had frequent price reductions.