Case and Point on why you have a professional do it....

A little bit about me...I'm an IT professional who's ultimate goal is to quit the 9-5.

We are a community of families, doctors, teachers, professionals, business owners, and we stick together in the hardest of times (remember most recently the Oct 1 shooting #VegasStrong).

These are professionals with additional training and a stricter code of ethics.

In addition to the cost savings in demo, you also have the advantage of being able to see behind the walls to know what the electrical/plumbing is like, if there is moister or cracks in the walls/foundations, and if there is an wood destroying insect damage.  

Completing this form is very tricky, and I highly recommend you leave it to a tax professional who has done it before.Yes, there is some audit risk involved, but not much more than your usual risk of simply being in business.

Changing light fixturesI’m pretty handy but not a professional construction background.

ok, small update:i compared my options. based on youtube i should be able to crack the thing open with a long pry bar ($16, as my normal crow bar doesn't look like it'll give me enough leverage) in ~2 minutes. how do they get away with calling these things "safe"?

I think every real estate investor wants to be a full time guy because this is very enjoyable, there are lot of pros to being full time, here are some of the cons you should address 1) Finding the deals - As long as you are a passive investor if the math works even a 100$ cash flow a month is okay on the side, you can buy your properties from MLS but when u are a full time investor you need a lot more cash flow and lot better deals.2) Sourcing Finance - Banks look for W2s when you ask for money, you should be lot more creative and risky as a full time professional to source funding.3) Market Cycle and Current Market - Markets will cycle and as much as I know most areas are turning into sellers market with low supplies, how do you tackle that?

Welcome @Whitney T RedfieldSoCal can be a tough nut to crack for newbies.A couple years ago I mailed out lots of letters to homeowners in LA County with no luck.Then I tried rural Kern County and got a deal from a distressed homeowner in California City.The margins were not as large as they would've been in LA or OC, but I was able to rent it out for 2 years before fixing it up and selling it for a decent gain.Also, have you considered an owner-occupied small multifamily for your first deal?