Others say it could be converted to personal use or considered a “not for profit rental” and I should not submit a Schedule E. 

House hacking will also give you some personal "property management" experience.

I haven't taken the jump into personal rental property investing yet however I am licensed realtor in NJ.

Have already screened at least 4 contractors, most were personal references.

Investors may develop their own personal portfolio of institutional properties across the country.

Don't forget that you were a rookie one time and your Brokerage EXP certainly hires the same caliber of person we do. 

Being new to the area does anyone have any recommendations on Houston REI meetup groups that meet in person or virtually?

BTW I have 0 experience Hi AnnMarie, I personally love Columbus Ohio and as someone who works with a lot of out of state investors - there's so many catalysts for why you should invest here.

As you know, each person and deal ought to be underwritten independently of another.  

My personal experience, I majored in economics with a focus in business analytics but what’s worked for me and I think is a good path is to major in something that will maximize your W2 earning potential and use the money to invest in real estate.