This will allow you to see if being an agent is really for you and being comfortable around numbers .........do I need to say more :) good luck.

I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable with 50% up front in the case of both parties.

I would prefer to not have carpet at all; however, I always lay carpet in the bedrooms so people's feet are comfortable when they kick their shoes off. 

Location location...I have many preferences and as I become more comfortable I can stick to them better.  

But I'll do the best I can to help from reading what you posted based on price it seems good but there's still a lot of unknowns, since your house hacking and it's a duplex this might be common sense but please check if you ever decide to sell the property would it be sold as one collective property for 150k or separate I mention this because it seems like you'll be using a hard money lender.Also when it comes to rehab if you don't feel comfortable estimating the rehab do what I have done contact several rehabbers and show them the property and get a quote estimate that way.Along with this to eliminate any doubt the most important information (depending on your exit strategy) is the ARV you generally get this information from realtors to see what similar properties have sold and how long does a similar property take to sell.

I've contemplated investing out of state, but am not comfortable going into a market blind.

I work full time in NYC and with the help of others, I have been looking into buying a potential multi-family in the city or surrounding areas, where I can comfortably travel to and from work.

My current role invovles analyzing loan profitability, assesing portfolio risk and designing new process/methodology to maximize profits for my employer. i work scpecifically with mortgages, so i have seen and gain a deep understanding on how a mortgage work and the profits behind them. that said, it made me realize that if i couldn't be a lender i could probably an investor or whosaler to maximize my cash flow. i plan to be financial independant by the time i am 45. i am now 32, so i only have 13 years left the clock is thicking!

But please keep in mind that it's a very dangerous time to invest right now from a valuation perspective, given where we are in the real estate cycle and economic cycle right now, so be sure that you fully understand and are fully comfortable with any opportunity that you're considering (I am NOT a financial advisor, etc, this is just my perspective as an investor).

And, of course, networking is also another reason why I'm here.For now I'm interested in investing in rental properties (thinking of turnkeys right now - due to time constrains) and maybe flipping after I gain some experience and feel more comfortable about it.