but the money is soft.  

Once you get a sense of the owner's situation and assess their needs, you can give them a soft pitch on your own goals to see if they are well received.

I figure I could combine the two industry skills if I got into Real Estate. 

Social aspects of RE are not limited to low income tenants, far from it.Look too, for the National Association of Housing Officials and Redevelopment (NAHRO).Here are some organizations or other folks that deal in RE within their realm.Office of AgingAssisted LivingAdvocate Organizations for the blind, handicap, children, etc.City P&Z OfficesDept. of Defense, especially the Corps Of EngineersDept. of EducationDept. of Health and Human ServicesEconomic Development identifies blighted areas and funds redevelopment.HUD/USDA have social and economic skills educationHOA organizationsLook to your local United Way, they are often the gatekeepers for funding going to community service organizations and they will know non-profit housing entities that serve an area.Developers base growth from social impact studies, demographics are the social and economic movement of populations.  

lol) 2) Investors who started investing in the last market cycle, during the downturn, like myself – Share how much you think your success is attributable to the market vs. your own skills and cunning…When the real estate market is doing well, it’s hard to lose.

I can easily imagine a seller filing a complaint/lawsuit on how they were taken advantage of by the unscrupulous licensed, skilled professional real estate agent.

What skills and experience did you require?  

At 23, I am currently working towards my license to be an architect, and I am curious to see how my skills and education can apply to real estate investing.

Franks frustration is all too common, and I fully sympathize with his situation.It seems like the simple task of answering and/or returning a phone call is a skill many people have lost.

Business like that will fund your purchase, soft cost, and rehab cost at 100% as long as the cost do not exceed some % of the ARV.If i were a bank, I would be concerned about your cash reserves since you do not have a track record.