My wife talked me out of buying investment properties for years - with the same concerns you had to deal with.I did my own rehabs with some support from hiring day laborers and a few contractors. 

Thank you all so much, I'm definitely enjoying the support and love that is being poured out on my first day here, you all are awesome! 

Will be asking, after I put them in a proper order...lolbut thanks for the support.

Liked the idea of starting with a small multifamily so I could hone my property management skills, build a support network, and being able to diversify my rental income with two units instead of one.

@Pete Kirby This doesn't sound promising to me unless the numbers support a much lower rent.  

WHAT evidence do you have to support this claim?

I have gone through the beginners guide, forums, podcast, resources…. for several days now and I truly believe that with this kind of support available theirs no more excuses to keep me from making the plunge into real estate investing.

Agreed with Jon, but I'll add that if you're planning to counter at much less than $126K, you should support your offer with several contractor bids on the work.

I do recommend starting your portfolio with a concentration on strong cash flow to help support your stronger appreciating properties you may or may not want to add later.

I quit my job and became a FT investor focusing on rehabs with support of hubby...Two things that worked in my favor.1.