RE the timber aspect of this conversation, Jay Hinrichs was also a podcast guest like Seth Williams, and transitioned from land into timber. 

Read @Mike Weese book, liked it a lot.Read more than 300 other real estate books, most not that good.I would like the best book written on using your solo 401K to buy real estate, if that book exists, if it doesn't then I will be forced to do all the research and write it myself.I'd like to read a book about somebody who is succeeding now doing some aspect of real estate.Any suggestions?

Any advice/criticism is welcomed. 

A different matter.Judgments can cause your tenant's bank account to get hit, they could lose their rent money causing a late payment or default in the lease.I'm not sure how an accurate point system can be devised that would stand up in the event a tenant complained of a rental assessment (a judgment is enough for a denial) but scoring other matters between other applicants......I wouldn't go there.Once you take aspects of your underwriting from a subjective side (having the ability to use your opinion on the matter) to an objective side, quantifying some matter, then you open the door to your system being fair and accurate and it won't be.I say it won't be because multi million dollar programs can't meet that standard, MUELS, a mortgage underwriting system has kicks that can't evaluate objective matters, so I'm sure a landlord won't be successful when institutions with big bucks can't solve such problems.That said, having some system certainly helps you determine applications on a consistent basis, it's a guide for you to remain fair in your assessment, in your mind so to speak.

(Oddly, I never hear people criticize my decision not to do that, even though I'd have made more money doing that in the recent past than by owning SF real estate.)Bakersfield is an option, and I will give it a second look, but I just wasn't able to make the numbers show 15-20% CoC the last time I looked.

Welcome to BP community @Corey Fick It is a great place to meet new friends and learn about various aspects of real estate and more.

I am interested in all aspects of real estate and look forward to becoming more active on BP.  

BP is the platform set up to do exactly what your criticizing Coleman for doing. 

That I would definitely not go on my own ... but finding the right deal is probably the biggest challenge on that aspect of REI.So that's it!

Great idea ... examples of earn while you learn with a JOB in RE:Get your salesperson license and work as an agent under a RE brokerWork for a title/escrow companyWork for a bank, underwriting mortgages, etc.Get licensed and become a mortgage brokerBecome a RE appraiser or inspectorArchitectWork for the city planning department, reviewing permits, etc.Become a general contractorApprentice in the trades (plumber, electrician, HVAC, roofer, etc.)Work for a large developer or REI company, analyzing investment markets, deal analysis, due diligence, etc.Project manager for a construction companyProperty managerToo many other options to name, but this gives you some options to think about ... these things would give you income to invest in RE AND teach you about various aspects of RE at the same time ....