And that would lead to my best suggestion for cutting costs: Let someone else (a mail house or an online outfit like Click2Mail) perform the labor tasks for you.

And sometimes, they simply aren't very good businessmen. 

I'm brand new to real estate, because I was always told how difficult it is to buy a house, let alone invest in a property, but now I have learned that is all simply not true (I do know it is not easy, per se, but it is attainable with some hard work and diligence!)

I bet they are in it 50k on legal fees now its highly complicated Old railroad right away that was bought by the state and now its a state asset were they are making it a bike and walking path and the state it turns out cannot be sued for an easement of necessity.. its quite complicated really at the end of the day its a 500k chunk of dirt they either get me my right of way or cut me a check,Now that I am doing business in your fare state and in Charleston SC that has old old parcels and deeds that go back pre civil war..

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need some help or simply have any questions along the way. 

Perhaps add cutting lawns and trimming bushes to your offering.In the age of Craigslist, Facebook marketplace and PayPal/Venmo/cashapp, anyone can start a side hustle pretty easily with some free ads, flyers, and a few T-shirts with your business logo.

As a recent graduate with no prior REI experience, I am curious whether I should be putting more of an effort into finding a more experienced partner or simply doing the research and going at it alone.

If you do this for years then there can be quite a bit of deferred tax.Most investors will then do a last 1031 into something passive that requires no management and simply provides cash through the remainder of their lives with the returns from the deferred tax making up a large % of their retirement income. 

This makes it very difficult to qualify for an exception as it would be challenging/impossible to rent out as a "long term rental" - which I can't quite tell what is defined as.Any thoughts on strategies or ideas on how to deal with this, aside from simply selling and getting out?

Frankly I do not believe they are that bad you simply must learn how to manage tennats.