Commercial C-1 zoning may allow mixed use or retail on the frontage but this is a hard stop to gaining conventional financing. 

So far I’ve read 4 books published by Bigger Pockets or their members and am gaining a lot of insight into which direction I wanna go when I finally do take that leap into investing.

Some of the best experience that you'll gain is on the job training. 

I want to be able to get right into real estate investing and gain experience so I am ready to buy/sell homes as well as be the best real estate agent I can be.

I am selling MY house and I DO NOT want to pay capital gains tax on it.

Obtain financing as a new LLC; LLC is 25% ownership split four ways, all four members are gainfully employed outside of the LLC. 

My weighted average investment property loan is right around 5% (from 4.75% to 5.25% on 30-year fixed).  

Would I be exempt from paying up to $250,000 in capital gains tax if I sold my duplex?

Lead generation service is different because an agent pays lead generators without any direct coupling of the payment to closing (but with an understanding that if the leads are nonsense it'll put an early end to the relationship).It's this situation that gave rise to wholesaling, because ultimately a wholesaler is doing that same deal-finding service, but they get around the licensing requirement by buying the property for themselves with an assignment clause, and then resell it to an investor at a premium that ends up like a fee but officially is counted as equity gains on a real estate transaction in their own name.

The appraiser will determine how to weight each approach based on local market conditions that vary from location to location.