Whether its property management, or home improvement, or anything else I'd love to hear about any way to get real world experience before I'm ready to start buying.

This is a complete gut job, so everything from the pipes up is new. 

That could be IRA's, side jobs, and whatever other investing..

I recently quit my job to "do me" and boy has it been amazing.

The pull back in these markets is due to a confluence of many factors, but it started with these environmental factors:Low interest rates and easy financing for new projects.Structurally high rent growth on existing inventory.High wage growth and high job growth.Very low vacancy.These factors led to floods of institutional capital coming to these markets to snap up existing multifamily inventory and build new supply to meet demand.For these markets, the last 5 years have been a seemingly never ending party!

Another example of economic growth is the upcoming Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Inpatient Hospital which is a 1.9million square foot hospital that will bring over 800 new beds and a thousand new jobs. https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/new-osu-hospital-expec...

I love high quality - would like someone who is very exceptional, investor-friendly, reliable, and gets the job done on time.

Favorable Tenant/landlord laws, no income tax, low property tax, consistent job growth, tech coming in, etc. 

And assuming I have a rental property paid off, and I have a W-2 job, do I save money on both taxes?

California generates almost 15% of US GDP and has the most high paying jobs of any state.