The seller's second would have to be very soft.

What are the first skills one should obtain to get started?

They will teach you techniques and skill that is worth more than 10,000s of dollar. 

So its all OPM and their skill or hopefully they are skilledso I think what @Joe Schaak is saying is the 130k would be the down stroke the HML wants and the rehab funds.If the deal pans out correctly this is a very nice financial play for Joe. 

I generally hire for personal quality construct so long as the basic skills of the position are there.

Your USP will likely evolve as your dynamic experiences reveal your natural talents, skills and expertise.For example, I never intended to become a probate expert but rather use my foreclosure and title expertise in the legal community.

The biggest challenge is determining which is right for you in your current circumstances, desired investment asset, financially, and experience wise.On that last note, operating a run down building in a more desirable area, if one can be found that actually offers a better value, won't require to many different skills than operating a "turn-key" building.

Its better to do the leg work and come up with your own criteria based on your knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Since we already own a lot of properties, we work to partner with cheap and skilled tradespeople saving maintenance costs.We are proactive in our maintenance so our tenants are happier and they stay on average longer than most tenant occupancy periods (which saves the owner on future leasing).We set up leases to end during summer months where we have the most tenants looking for new houses to rent so we can maximize rental rates.Even though we rent fast, we prioritize make ready repairs so that we can continually keep the property up to maximize rental potential and identify and get great tenants.We are proactive in our collection of rent so we evict faster than self managing investors.We perform inspections to identify how tenants are keeping the property to not renew leases to hoarders and people who break lease terms.We perform move in and move out inspections by video to document condition to charge back tenants on security deposits.For some investors, they are not as on top of all aspects of property management and they should get help (to improve ROI). 

The rest of the state will slowly follow suit once our Democrat governer is elected out of office.The work force is highly skilled and manufacturing centric, but the union mentality has tarnished things since there's an entitlement sentiment among the blue collar workers.