If the latter (that's what a PM, agent, etc is), then you can either transition by working part-time, getting your RE license on the side, etc., or you can just jump ship and start over and accept that a reduction in salary may be the price you pay to change careers. 

i would recommend loopnet.com. they have a free account that you can sing up for. they also have a paid account that you can get that give you more options.if you want an easier transition into commercial try getting into multi family. 

I bought a house in PA that the previous owner transition from a three bedroom to a two bedroom 1st floor because he put two bedrooms in the basement.  

The reason for me waiting to fully transition into an agency role is primarily for ease of access to bank loans. 

I was just wondering if anyone had any good tips on transitioning the tenants into our new ownership/management. 

Though I am still currently a chef, I would like to start wholesaling while I transition out of the kitchen.

So does it make more sense to pour my efforts into real estate investing for the first few years, and then transition into a more diversified form of investing such as a Roth IRA or something similar after I've acquired a few properties, or is this unwise?

It felt good after riding public transit all those years.Ami, You'll really feel good when instead of bills piling up, you got cash piling up.

Invest in a single family slightly further away in Maryland in a transitioning C (maybe D) class neighborhood.

LA had bad traffic before tech overflowed, they don't have public transit like most other major metros.