The art of trusting your instincts and applying it to the level of detail you deem appropriate to protect yourself and your investment. 

After we found that out, I couldn't move forward with using my brokers account to manage my properties because of the co-mingling of funds.

I now co-host a Landlord meetup with a friend down in the Southend https://www.meetup.com/Carolina-Real-Estate-Invest...That would be a great resource for you and a great way to build your network.

If it were that easy to stroll into a town and make a mint off government employees, I'm sure someone else already figured it out decades ago.

Also hopefully that job will be in close proximity to multi-unit propertiesGet a job where you are an employee that can be construed as something you majored in in collegeFind a lender that does FHA. 

Two or more persons may also own investment property as co-tenants and may not be deemed to be partners.

I need to get my real estate license in Illinois, New York, and California, with my first priority being IllinoisIllinois has reciprocity with CO, CT, GA, IN, IO, KT, NE, SD and WINew York has reciprocity with CO, CT, GA, AR, MA, MS, OK, PA, and WVCalifornia has no reciprocityWould it be in my interest to study for either Colorado, Connecticut, or Georgia in order to get both Illinois and New York?

Right now it's at the level of stable.You'll be hard pressed to find fantastic deals, but the market is nowhere close to over-valued but rather it is at - value.I.e.

Wow this question is so vague I have no idea how to give specifics...On a 10' x 10' room (similar to your standard bedroom) I can remove everything down to the studs in one day.1/2- 3/4 day to rewire (simple cosmetic such as changing the number or location of outlets if you're actually changing the wires itself up to higher codes it can be 3+ days depending on how the house is wired and accessibility)1/2-1 day to insulate1/4 day for any windows or doors that would need replacing for the 1 room2 days for drywall (so long as the studs are straight and level)25 hours of taping (+/- 5 hours depending on the number of corners/edges) spread over 7 days usually front loaded 3-4 hours the first 2 days, then 2-3 hours for the remaining 5 days.2 days painting; 2-3 coatsflooring will depend on the product you're using but unless it's hardwood or laminate you can usually get it done 1 day.1 day trim and molding1 day clean and finishing touches.One thing that shouldn't be overlooked is the time it takes to purchase the materials and get them to the job site.Another is where you can actually do the work.

But we can discuss . if you are interesting in taking your business to next level and thinking about partner up with me.