Just remember, however, that there are people that utilize an online persona to be less than honest.

@Brandon Crumpton - Great question and @John Thedford summed it up nicely.Yes, it's a double edged sword that enables you to take massive leaps forward and risks or can be utilized to the point where you overextend yourself and then being unable to sleep well at nights.Use leverage wisely and you will benefit from it's advantages positively.

Ryan,All three of those options are good ones, I have seen individuals build successful real estate careers utilizing those strategy.In short, option 1 is get started as an investor and option 2 & 3 are get started as an industry professional.

I would recommend splitting utility bills equally between you two as well, if everyone has buy in for the bill, they're less likely to leave the hot water running for no reason.

The landlord, my friend is elderly  and on a fixed income struggling with the property tax payments and utility costs of the unit now .

You're going to have to utilize his income to get loans...

The main reason is they get to brag on Facebook and Instagram that they were able to invest with a famous guru. 

Ridgeview was acquired from 'mom & pop' owners and will go through an awesome value-add strategy by renovating the interior units, adding amenities, billing back utilities to tenants, and implementing a professional property management company to improve inefficiencies.

You can utilize several options. 

Finally I've done several house hack deals recently utilizing a 5% down conventional ARM loan to purchase a 3 unit as well as a 4 unit property.Starting locally by house hacking is a safer investment than going out of state.