Especially as VCU continues to expand and we're seeing more industrial and office jobs flood in yearly.

I am by no means an expert, but I have 20k sqft (lite industrial) in the Bay Area.

I flipped a property several years ago when I was working in the mortgage industry, and also had a Handyman business for several years.

Made a video about it recently outlining the importance of self-defense for our industry: http://youtu.be/aaSKgD2ekWM Thanks for watching!

Other than that, some good points have been made to the OP, and I'd fully agree that often when you try to outsmart industry standard pracitces, it just doesn't work in your favor.  

@Wayne Brooks I think this whole industry of wholesaling and flipping contracts ( and we have beaten it like a dead horse)  but it really comes down to if you have someone file a complaint against you then I think most state's will take the position that your selling RE without a license if you are just tying up a property and then advertising it for sale.. with the only intentions to close on it is if you can find a buyer.  

I am a marketing professional, but a newbie in the real estate industry.

If not, working for someone in the real estate industry (loan officer, property management, etc) as Michele suggested is a great idea.Another way to do it without spending any of your own money is to use other people's money.  

I suggest you have a good understanding of the industry and the niche of any business before you just look at numbers and expected returns, especially since the historic numbers may or may not be relevant.

Louis.It’s actually a pretty sweet deal: close military family who take pride in executing the mission while looking out for each other; relatively close to several major cities (St Louis, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis), but far enough away to avoid the hustle and bustle; easy access to many outdoor activities; growing tech industry, close to five excellent transportation routes (the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, and I-70, I-64, I-55); and an exciting baseball team (I’ve drank the Kool-aide and am now a solid Cardinals fan).Talk about Location!