Reading books, articles, watching videos, attending webinars, researching your market, learning a new skill etc. all can help big time.

Also, I would like a turnkey property or something close to it because I don't have many fixing skills.

@Matthew Rogers What are your skill-sets? 

Once you have done that, you´ve generally have earned the skills and connections to keep moving through the different levels with much less stress.

In terms of immediate next steps, here are a few tips- Save six months of living expenses and put them in a separate account- Save your down payment for the FHA loan and reserves/expenses for your first rental in another separate account- Get prequalified for a loan- Don´t do anything hasty between getting preapproved and buying (like getting a new car or changing jobs)- Develop/steal/borrow a template for analysing deals- Analyse a lot of deals, get used to crunching numbers every day- Don´t let any earnest money go hard without getting a full inspection from a licensed professional- Utilise but don´t overestimate your DIY skills.

They are competing on rate because they can't compete on anything else, i.e. service, skill, etc.

Not all of them, but the skilled, honest, and excellent are few and far between.  

I made had overpaid a bid because Seller was very skilled at pushing more.

This program is designed to provide financial literacy, job and apartment placement, and basic survival skills.

Then do an honest assessment of your knowledge, skills, passions, and abilities.