Properly position your property, and engage with a professional leasing advisor and property management company.

Properly position your property, and engage with a professional leasing advisor and property management company.

It sounds like your S-Corp is engaging in some form of active business, so you should be OK sponsoring a Solo 401(k) from that business. 

cody you may want to see if @Joel Owens  will engage you.. if you want to be in the investment side of the business then you may or should be looking at going to work for commercial brokerage. and work your way up.Remember in CA folks there don't buy SFR's as regualarly for investments as they do in other parts of the country.. they buy multi.. now there  is nothing wrong with being a top Resi real realtor although keep in mind 90% of those that get licensed all do that end of the business..

This engagement has been full of rookie mistakes.

To do this, honestly I think you'd probably either have to get a commercial line of credit, and engage with a lender directly. 

You said you looked at craigslist I would also try other websites to get a feel for what rents are vs how nice your place is.You could always engage a broker to rent the place for you and try it out for a year.

I always prefer refinishing the hardwood, however your idea of something over the top of the hardwood (people rave about luxury vinyl Plank) would probably protect it well, and allow easier repair if a tenant damages it, and then you can refinish the HW down the road when it is time to sell.

Hey @Eric S.You should talk to a real estate agent when you are ready to pull the trigger and buy as soon as you find the right property.In preparation for that, make sure that :- you know how much you can afford- you have been pre-approved by a lender (if you are raising financing)- you have the cash for the down-payment in the bank- ideally you have the contact of a home-inspector to schedule the home-inspection asap- you have the contact of an attorney you can use.Knowing what you can afford and the type of property you are after, contact the real-estate agents with property listed and explain them what you are after.Good agents will take that information and source properties for you that matches your criteria.As you start engaging with more and more realtors, you'll have a feel for the one who understands your requirement, you are confortable working with and is good at his/her job.That is my 2 cents

You want to learn and engage people where they are.