I can fly a helicopter, I can't fly a jet fighter, I don't have the knowledge or skills required to fly a jet fighter.

Owning a duplex gives you all the skills you are going to need for local investing.Here are few other ways into RE investing as an owner occupant:0% Down:NACA (https://www.naca.com)VA Loan (http://benefits.va.gov/HOMELOANS/index.asp)Rural Development Loans (Renovations MAY be included)(http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/HSF-About_Guaranteed_Loans.html)3.5% DownFHA (http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD/topics/buying_a_home)3.5% AND RenovationsFHA 203k loan (http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD/program_offices/housing/sfh/203k)5% DownHomepath Owner Occupied

Money, time, or skill?

Seth are you in the legal profession by trade? 

I'm about an hour south of you.Sounds like you have great experience, skills, and connections to be successful at real estate investing!  

I thought I would post here to find out if anyone in Denver is looking to hire some high skilled labor onto their building crew.

Also look into more than one way to invest in real estate, roll the money from one to other, I use handyman business to improve skills and fund my flips, rentals, or tax liens/certificates.  

I definitely think you have a lot of skills that will transfer over well into your real estate investing. 

Hopefully I will quickly build up a knowledge base and skill set in real estate investing to enable me to transition into wholesaling and rehabbing.I am very excited to be embarking upon this new career and  look forward to meeting some of you as I move along this journey!

I have a multitude of skills and don't mind getting my hands dirty in exchange for building relationships and gaining new knowledge.