Now that my wife and I are getting settled in one place, we are getting serious about real estate investing and getting out of the rat race.

However, rather than me hash it over again you can read everything from the horse's mouth as the saying goes and visit the city's website on this https://toledoleadsafe.com/It spells everything out there.

Get off your high horse of thinking you are better than someone else because you have firmer finances.

I've been listening for 3 months and have decided I want out of the rat race and need to invest in real estate.I have a decent day job I enjoy, and am looking to supplement my paycheck with passive income.

It is just a side hustle to increase the chance of escaping the rat race early.If you are scraping just to get the first down payment (20-25k) then you may be wise to try the house-hack approach to get started. 

Sounds like you're off to the races.

Well we need to take it from the horse's mouth here, but it is not so clear what the horse is saying!

I do have a few questions if you don't mind, both of which pertain to new purchases where I only have a tax certificate.If I have a property without any permanent structures, can I lease the property for recreational use such as riding horse, four wheeling, or hunting? 

Real estate is not a race and it takes time to make money.

Real estate is a great way to get out of the rat race (I think).I guess for you, getting your first deal, however you do it, will provide the funding for the next.