And someone jumping into this as a complete newbie can expect that they have a decent chance of making some expensive newbie mistakes.

It will save you all the learning curve and mistakes rookie makes.Goodluck!

I trusted a few people to do multiple jobs that semi overlapped and they pointed fingers when a mistake was made.

I often see new investors make the mistake of focusing on cash on cash, I used to do it as well. 

Expect more mistakes...

This may be aggressive, however I would rather account for the worst case scenario to ensure I am still cash flowing than buy a liability.For my first investment property I made the mistake of not properly accounting for CAPEX and repairs and it turned to what should have been a cash flow king of a property to actually breaking even. 

It sounds like you're already working with an agent, so they should be able to let you know what "strong terms" means today.Another mistake I see out of state clients make is using a preapproval letter from a lender that no one here has ever heard of.

Don't make the mistake of a "this is what I can afford right now" purchase.

A lot of new brokers assume their personal sphere will do all the work - which is a mistake.  

I made so many mistakes along the way, yet still turned this into a great return!