Most have a high school education. 

My goal of becoming a broker is two fold:  1) Build a career with high earning potential   2) Use that income paired with the knowledge I would gain to invest. 

Of course, I would highly recommend staying up to date on the laws for when you do move out of the property and onto your next house hack.

Only downside is that buying a house now is so high it's almost not worth the effort it seems.

This is even more true today given the high level of US interest rates.

High standards and ethical practices will build your reputation.Shifting your mindset to treating real estate investing as a serious business is fundamental to success.

We threw out cabinets, flooring, light fixtures, planned on new windows and doors, anyway, had vents cleaned.

Multiply that times faucets, cabinets, shower fixtures, flooring, etc.

While it may seem like a high fee you'd be hard placed to replace those services with a paid employee and do better than you're paying now.My problem with the deal is the $5,000 setup fee.

Big picture - buy properties in medium to high demand locations where you don't have to stress over vacancy or this type of question.