I have been thinking about all this for the last 2 years, kind of waiting to see if a shoe will drop. 

The one thing I would say is every seller I have dealt with in our market has been pretty dang happy, with the biggest worry being "when will the other shoe drop?

If I were in your shoes, I would rather get an equity partner than deal with a hard money lender, but that's just me.

I try to put myself in the occupants shoes when buying a home. 

Boots for tree cutters, framers, not dress shoes. 

Is entirely different then me teaching you how to tie your shoe.

I am wondering if anyone has looked into areas that shoe potential for growth in the newly expanded light rail line from Dowmyown LA to Santa Monica.

My big reasons as to why I'm getting into real estate is I feel like my younger years have allowed me to get all the mistakes out of the way by taking as large of risks as possible, and now I'm in a mindset of looking to building wealth through more consistent and dependable ways, and lately life has been nudging me towards insurance and real estate.Personally, I've got a little under $80K of debt I'd like to pay off, I don't have a family though I've got my sights set for financially preparing me for one in the future, and I know now would be the best time for me to start preparing for that.Currently being in San Diego, I've also heard mixed opinions about this market, so I'm curious to know thoughts on local vs. out of state investing being where I am.I've also heard opinions like "If you don't have at least $100k, you shouldn't bother getting started investing into real estate", so the thought of revisiting real estate with more capital has also crossed my mind.My ideal vision is to be more on the side of acquisition, sourcing and doing the deals, as opposed to property management and renovations side of it.With that being said, knowing what you know about real estate investing, what are some realistic paths for someone in my shoes?