Your expenses will be high, damages will not be zero and the niche market of staging will require a large exposure to find clients.IMO, use your skills to be the facilitator, not the provider.  

With the skills you will gain in the class, you will be better able to evaluate the properties you will be looking at, as well as to save money handling repairs yourself.

These low down-payment owner occupant loans are very forgiving once you get to do your financial, physical and legal due diligence in order.I wanted to express my thanks for all the support provided by the various professionals I have been meeting in the real estate investor associations, meetups and casual one-offs, and of course, the BP community.Finally, for all the newcomers in the arena struggling to get your first deal under the belt, just be assured that with knowledge, patience, and positive entrepreneurship skills, be confident that you will ultimately do it.

I've grown them organically... work really hard to save extra through my digital marketing skills and kept buying the past 7 years...Now, I've been working on a 1031 exchange for one of my small condo in the sf bay area into 5-10 unit apartment else where, so hopefully I'll get beyond the 100k/year gross rent.

Thus when someone who doesn't qualify based on the criteria you have set still wants to view the property it's a little easier to say that you must follow the criteria set by the "company".In the past I was more soft hearted and allowed more wiggle room with things like income criteria (at least 3 times the rent) and credit history (i.e., collections) and by doing so, I was often bitten in a tender spot in my anatomy.  

If you can't make friends with means to lend to you you lack the basic skills needed to raise capital. 

Any advice on practicing and improving my cold calling skills ?

But its a cultivated skill, and right now, Jane is crumbling. 

I think this soft month and the coming winter (snow on older roofs = no bueno) got me a little jumpy

Having money is second to the skill sets.