I have no student loans or debt and I’m looking to start investing in properties.

If so start with logging your hours every week.

I’m looking to start off my life in Real Estate investment and have been researching the idea of fix & flips for the past couple months.

Hello, I am looking to buy my first property (most likely an investment fourplex), but just left my job to start a grad program.

When you raise in a pool interest starts at a certain date and you have to be very careful of drag on the money IE payoffs with no new fundings.. but still owe the investors their return.. this sunk a lot of funds during the GFC..

While I finish school I want to work, at some level, for a brokerage and continue to build the savings and connections needed to start investing in my own properties / making a career in real estate.

Not everyone starting off gets hit with this, and if you can buy a portfolio it can "de-risk" the issue to some extent, but if you have one property and experience an 8-9 month fight to collect rent prior to eviction with a large repair bill after that it can be very painful.ALWAYS use a licensed PM in Detroit. 

Start talking to other lenders, plain and simple... you preapproval does not hold you obligated to anything.

Consequently, new homes in these locations start at $550,000.

I will start expanding my network now.