Once I started paying this expedited fee, things went very smoothly because I got priority.  

No worries there, it's a super smooth process and they lead you by the hand with forms etc.With that said, there's 2 reasons I don't like FCI as a buyer:1) they don't set prices or filter the notes on there so there is a lot of junk.

They don't fully understand the importance of location and strictly go for the highest cash-flowing properties thinking it'll always be smooth sailing. 

However, nothing ever runs perfectly smooth and here are some of the newly learned lessons.

Here's hoping next month is as smooth!

in my opinion which im new to this if your making money and everything is going smoothly then relax and take it slow your not doing anything wrong and everyone has to start somewhere. i think what your doing sounds awesome!!

The first time went smooth, no issues or surprises.

Im just worried my first venture won't go as smooth.

I’d be left with only around $270k after selling fees,  if all went smoothly. $270k in Scwab money fund would get me $15k/year while I’m waiting to pull the trigger on something.  

Whenever you are buying a property out of state you should do a few things to ensure it's as smooth as possible.Don't buy in the roughest neighborhood in the urban core.