.), spending time with my family, and always continuing to better myself whether that be reading books, being outdoors and exercising, networking, and/or sharpening my skills for my trade.I started my real estate journey in 2021 after a software business I was a partner in had a bad partnership breakup that saw me lose everything (financially). 

You need comparable sales BEFORE you spend $175 or the appraisal will come low to your expectations.

The court forms do not track this type of eviction so based on your sophistication you may spend a considerable amount of time and if you are off in the slightest the court will withhold judgment. 

Many are spending their money on Christmas gifts. 

R&D is like split testing, trial and error is "I'll be damned to spend the time investing in knowledge so let's just hope we survive the guessing". 

However I'm thinking if I ever hit the windfall on something like this, their pockets are probably way deeper than mine and I'm not going to want to spend the money to fight it.

I'd start by looking at where the money is going and how to increase your income and lower your spending. 

Make sure you spend a lot of time reading, learning, and meeting people before making the first investment.

Why would you spend the money on an appraisal now?

Option 3: Find a better investment at this time.Stop thinking of yourself as a real estate investor and start thinking of yourself as a well rounded investor.Pay off your mortgage: Your money is not working for you when you spend it on liabilities like a personal residence.Buy Rentals with little/no cash flow: You are speculating what a rental will be worth in 20-30 years.