Timeline to achieve this is 10 to 15 years,  conservatively.

I see the value in learning those skills first hand but rehab skills is not imperative in making you a successful real estate investor. 

I would love to hear some first hand experiences with the condo market in Dallas (good or bad) if you have any.My other option is to house-hack a duplex.

This will defer all of the tax liabilities.Parts of the tax code can be combined to achieve this, but 1031 is the simplest, most straightforward, and can be conducted by any investor (read: accredited status not required.)

Any bulk discounts you could hope to achieve are outweighed simply by having the word "Commerical" in the policy.  

I'm very much a fan of learning by doing - but definitely have forwarded my career quite a bit by achieving a few different certifications.

It's nice to hear your first hand experiences.  

The IRA is the borrower when the refinance step is achieved.  

Everyone knows that if you leave any money in the property, you are underutilizing your capital and thereby losing out on the almost certain gains you will achieve from leverage.

Together we agreed on a brief yet realistic scope of work to achieve that ARV for this particular flip.