Myles,I think your best corse of action is to fast track your RE license and get it done as soon as possible, and either do that on weekends/time when you're not doing your security work or just make the lead into an industry that will at least get you closer or open a few more doors.

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to find a duplex/triplex closer to work that you can live in.

Just remember that each no is one no closer to the yes. 

@Richard Le I would definitely take a closer look at whidbey island and anacortes.  

I just bought my primary residence in Hendersonville, and I'd like to start investing closer to home once I'm finished with the improvements on my primary.

So a flipper could easily make closer to 20k for just painting it!

Few questions about that, it might be hard for me to get there right at the start, do people trickle in closer to 7 ever?  

Matt makes a very good point and it may be best to focus on a closer market.

I know doing my first deal I thought the house only needed about $15K in repairs but it ended up needing closer to 30. 

As we get closer to flipping out first property I am curious how mat of you go about finding a good General contractor.