Also be patient, real estate is slow and steady. 

It sounds like you're being patient but definitely take a deep dive on whoever you end up doing business with.

Sometimes a seller can't be patient and needs to unload.

HELOCs if they own a primary......cash out refinance if they own a primary.Borrow from family.Side hustle for a year....uber/lyft, deliver pizza, Amazon warehouse, PM, cleanout services, garage sale item flips(Gary V style)Medical Research....some pay $800 or more for simple vaccine research..some pay $5000 for a week of in patient testing.Trade down cars....flip cars.....saw a guy the other day on youtube flipping riding lawn mowers.Selling all their excess on FB Marketplace and ebay.

I would like to start small with some buy and hold real estate, so I went ahead and ordered the two books you recommended, so I'll be patiently waiting for them to come in the mail!

You should consider consulting with a reputable brokerage like Dwelling Network to receive tailored advice based on your investment approach.Stay Consistent and Patient-Real estate investing is a long-term game.

So your research and your willingness to be patient as you decide who or where and even if you invest, are going to be your best tools to make a good decision.

I have been working in medicine as a physician assistant in Internal Medicine with an emphasis in senior health care,  for over 20 years, I see patients in skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities every day.

I worked in healthcare and many patients were building homes.

When you could borrower at 4% and buy at a 6% cap thats great, when you now buy at a 6% cap but leverage is 8% thats badSo right now we are patiently waiting as there is a lot of debt coming due and current owners are either going to need to sell or need rescue funding.