Additionally, I am currently seeking other seasoned wholesalers/investors I can work with to obtain the knowledge required to be successful.My plan is to wholesale to build enough capital to buy and hold enough properties to create enough passive income so I can quit my job and not have to commute 3 hours a day.

How do you obtain funds from other sources?

Ideally we would like to pay the remaining mortgage off if we obtain the property and then sell the property.

My plan is to use my 401 k to obtain duplexes from which I will fund my retirement with the net cash flow...

If you max out your consumer credit, and are paying the typical rate for consumer debt, it will make it much more challenging for you to obtain a loan when you're ready to move ahead with your real estate career.

I would really like to know how many of you started out in obtaining your first property, the avenue you took to acquire it and what you did right and wrong in your first deal.This would help me understand more how I want to move forward.Thanks everyone!

That being said, there are creative ways to obtain deals off-market, but will take much more work.

Your goal should be to obtain traditional financing off the bat.

Your best bet is probably to file a COF with a name that is available and then obtain a DBA. 

I've heard conflicting reports, concerning how difficult or not difficult it is for foreigners to obtain financing.