Make some mistakes, learn from them, buy again.

One block can make a big difference so investors who aren't local or don't know better often make the mistake of buying in a rougher area unknowingly.

Podcasts and MillionAcre articles (via Motley Fool) will only get me so far, and if I've heard one mantra over and over, it's to just DO IT, letting mistakes 'fail me forward', as nobody's first house story is ever perfect (in hindsight), but is absolutely essential for turning a vague idea into actual action

This was a mistake.

I'm in the beginning stages of building a tiny house for myself on my mom's property to eliminate rent cost for the next few years while I save to get licensed and invest in my first deals.

@Brent BlahaYour biggest mistake was letting your in-laws live next door, but this cannot be fixed by amending. :)  Have you ever watched Everybody Loves Raymond?

This guy did save you from making a mistake and providing a service to the IRA, which could very well cause problems with the IRS later, so that's good.

This will ensure that you eliminate turnover costs and still get the raised rents that you are seeking.

Any guidance on what mistakes were made by any of you early on?

This is something that must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, but you can make some basic eliminations from local municipalities that have completely banned short term rentals, or made them near impossible to operate on a small scale.