I just passed my license exam today so I am interested in this subject as well.My soon to be first broker told me you will know when to hire an assistant or bring in a partner.It's when you're so busy trying to catch up on all your paperwork,service your clients needs,going on back to back appointments,making dozens of phone calls strictly for Escrow tasks,and so on that you can't keep up with your daily lead generation to keep the business sustainable in 3 months when your current clients are done with and gone.When you get to the point where you're getting both listings and new buyers signed every week,start looking around your office for an agent that likes working with buyers on a daily basis and doesn't mind being an open house master every weekend.

But, I would have separate accounts just to track the expense  that was spent strictly for rental area of the house.

Lenders are allowed to not use these rules or be more strict on them.  

Banks are very strict these days and ask you the source of your seed capital. 401k and HELOC on another property are the best options for sure.However, the purpose of my discussion above was not to talk about other debt sources you could use from 401k or HELOC.

You cant strictly be a PM in most states if you dont have a RE license but Im not sure if managing family property is an exception.

Perhaps I'm too strict - but that's a topic for another day. 

If I purchase too high, I'll have to bring my own money into the deal to cover the difference, which I can do but I can't believe the seller is being strict about list price.One mention was that the seller had $24k of assessments they would have to pay at closing, and that was a reason why $27k just wasn't going to cut it.

Someone in a protected class may not qualify but if you exclude the strictly for being in that class you get in trouble, the city which issues your license in Philly views different classes as protected.

@Aaron Phillips, maybe ask for your (refundable - but with strict non-swoop conditions) Assignment Fee UPFRONT? 

Would I still survive jumping into this new adventure even with a strict moving schedule for the next couple years, or would it be recommended that I hold off until our residence is a little more stable?