I currently have no real estate investing experience but I recently made a career change that has drastically altered my work schedule and has freed me up to real get moving with real estate investing.  

If you are trying to get started investing fast, I would skip the license. 

Only thing I would change (which you covered) if getting those utilities separately metered and paid by the tenant... 

Fast forward to now, I owe $179,000, the comps in the area for similar properties are $230,000-$240,000.

Listen what I would do is drive around the neighborhood you can afford around 6pm if the bus stops have lots of people making there way from work there is one money to be made and two a community of decent ppl there I'm not sure if u have children if not living in a bad neighborhood isn't always as bad as it seems besides the money you collect in a year or two may propel you toward your real aspirations faster than not making the move and no matter where you buy your choosing the tenant so set a base line of what you will and won't accept and stick to it people live in Baltimore, New York, New Jersey all places that once where **** holes that have taken some major steps toward change but more importantly they made a big bag of money from those horrible hoods

So the soft sell may work... and would also give me more wiggle room to change the price if the market has softened.

Network and educate yourself while you focus on changing your trajectory.  

I didn't think it would happen so fast, but I was driving through a residential area near where I live and spotted a house for sale by owner on a low traffic street. 

He apologized and said that there were all kinds of issues with reporting to customers and that they are making major changes

Then, they start to make changes and add things that weren't in the estimate.