My agent and I spent some time touring an interesting 4-plex property today. 

Spent $95,000 remodeling, mostly materials as I and co-workers did the remodel.

If this is the case, how much control might you be able to exert over where those HOA fees are being spent, considering you're now 1/8th of the HOA management team.  

Over the past two years I have not spent very much in other opertaing expenses and maintenance so I have been lucky.Either way I am learning to factor in those operating costs into any future analytics for other properties the more I learn.

Also spent some time in the car business, in the finance side. this is common, the mindset of the dealer is this: they want people to leave in a certain percentage of cars that they ultimately won't be able to finance RATHER than prevent sales becuase they think they ultimately won't be able to finance. for buyers on the margin, the deal is finalized long after you leave.

To me it’s $80 sooooooo well spent. 

Spent my last year acquiring all the knowledge and resources to start investing in real estate, specifically flipping and BRRRR.

@Will Barnard I have just recently spent time with a mentor and your path was an almost identical one to that of my mentor laid out for me.  

By then, the funds are spent and irretrievable.

Based on my background experiences in real estate and construction, the countless hours spent listening to podcasts, webinars, etc had armed me with great info and strategies.