As you mentioned there is only so much reading you can do and at some point you’ve got to pull the trigger.

Seems to me that it is a problem for me since it will be my first (and hence small, 50K investment) which will trigger me having to pay my CPA next year extra $100 or so to file my taxes in GA (right?)

If I am not confident in my numbers on income and expenses for the property, I am not comfortable pulling the trigger on a closing.  

Sometimes, when I'm really stuck in the middle on deciding to pull the trigger, then I pick a number that will make the decision for me.

You're not transferring titles or anything that would trigger a complete reassessment to step up your basis. 

Study, learn to the point you can articulate REI to someone else, then pull the trigger. 

When you feel you are confident enough to pull the trigger, you will pull it before you know it. 

Just a matter of whether we pull the trigger or not.

Find a mortgage broker before pulling the trigger and describe the situation and see if financing is possible.

@Jack Inman That’s the plan, I don’t plan on pulling the trigger on another property for at least another year to so I need save up the capital and during that time I’d like to attempt to build a team to work with