If you stick with the prison idea, specialize in Female prisoners and Federal prisoners. 

And I used the small profits to put towards savings for my next project or for maintenance on my house.Based on my experience...I would do the same over again.

My goal is to save on my living expenses and pay less than I am renting right now (my fiance and I pay $1,450 and split it). 

Downpayment was through personal savings from my 9 to 5 and remaining financing for purchase and rehab came from hard money lender (Easy Sreet Capital).

Do you have an idea of what your intended investment strategy would be?

@Branden,I agree, I though that I could save time and money by finding a templated design but that may not be the case.  

We're currently saving up enough for a 20% down for a conventional loan to bypass having to pay for PMI and MIP, as these 2 additional monthly expenses are a "make it or break it", in finding a cash flowing property in California.I would love to know what your story was like when you first started your real estate investing journey!

After you do this a few times, you really start to get general ideas of how much certain projects will cost.

They are not outright scams and people do some deals but you almost certainly would have been better off saving the money and profits and doing it yourself.They call the up front fee your "skin in the game". 

Your expertise and ideas could make a world of difference in helping me achieve my financial goals despite the obstacles I'm facing.Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!