Starting slow and steady.6-18 mo's: Start w/wholesaling, then moving back into flips and BRRRRs, both residential and commercial.

Plus...escape velocity...Episode 113 – Jay Papasan - Very practical slow and steady adviceEpisode 221 - Tim Shiner - his concept of equity build up and "shearing the sheep" shows some of the flexibility of real estate vs a 401k Last but not least, I also recommend all the tax advice given by my fellow CPAs on the BP Podcast.

You need deep pockets to ride it out. 

My main point in this post is to show that a slow and deliberate, nothing fancy approach can be effective.

They start out deep in debt, no savings and are looking for a easy path to financial success.

Rerun those numbers, we are no longer under 1 month supply.While I agree it is not of immediate concern it is something we should all be keeping an eye on. it was a slow august in many markets.. same here in PDX.I was talking to one of my bankers.. =( she is a new construction lender) and most of the clients reported slowing in july to August.however many thought that this was due to buyers taking that long awaited and put off vacation

However, instead of the market being strong through mid October (Columbus Day), in these smaller markets the season slows and lots of storefronts have their final sales and close after Labor Day.

The hardest part is getting the cash to start but also patience..real estate is sometimes a slow long term business. it will get easier..hang in there. 

Buying at auction is jumping in the deep end.

A 500 dollars a month tenant, and an older property in a low income area (You called it a 'C' but you are not sure) is jumping into the deep end IMO.