As for the areas to target, my goal in getting our feet wet as real estate investors--and since we plan to be living in Sac--is to find a property we can live in while renting out one or more units to help cover our housing expenses, which we can then hold and continue to rent out when we move.

Prospective investors should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses, and should consult with a tax or legal adviser before making any investment decision. 

And this is your best chance of house hacking while covering most of your living expense or maybe even cashflow if you buy in the right area.Hope this helps!

Steps: you go under contact with the owner of the property, you assign the purchase and sale agreement to the end buyer, the end buyer closes, and you get paid the difference between the agreed-upon price between you and the owner and the intended purchase price of the end buyer. 

They seem to be very expensive and I'm not sure if it's something absolutely necessary or not. 

Networking with local investors through BiggerPockets, Facebook, and meetups can help you navigate the market, while avoiding common mistakes like underestimating expenses, poor tenant screening, and hiring the wrong property manager.Good luck!

In his reply, he said that he never got paid for the repair of the kitchen cupboard door, so it will be $300 for that.

There have been numerous people on BP talking about how they paid application fees but they could never get their loans closed on any deal brought to the company.

That being said, it is another part of your property that you can use to generate income and in this area you can hit the 1% rule before expenses.

Having a mentor was part of the $35k we paid.