That being said, there have been a number of properties for which I was unable to find the mailing address of the ultimate owner, so for those, I plan to either reach out to the property manager or the registered agent (typically an attorney).

I had to duke it out to get a refund and ultimately cancelled.

Wealth is a person's ability to survive so many number of days forward- or if I stopped working today, how long could I survive.

Ok, now that you have taken your initial step, below are some quick links to get engaged.Since you never mentioned a niche of interest, below, are three links for your review and selection of one or all.http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/02/22/buying-rental-property/ (how to buy a rental property)http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/01/07/flipping-houses/ (step by step guide to flips)https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/01/31/ultimate-beginners-guide-real-estate-wholesaling-2/ (Ultimate beginners guide to wholesaling) http://www.biggerpockets.com/startherehttp://www.biggerpockets.com/meetSetting up Keyword AlertsHow to Use @Mentions on BiggerPocketshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/ruleshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/inviteshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/categorieshttps://www.udemy.com/biggerpockets-real-estate-investing-course/ (video with 64 lectures and approx 6hrs of material)https://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investing (Ultimate beginner's guide to REI)REI can be very daunting, but, before you go searching for that 1st buy, please take a few minutes to bone up on the tips in link below.https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/12/19/real-estate-investing-success-smart-tips/REI books suggested by BPershttps://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/11/13/7-real-estate-books-beginner-investors/ (7 absolute must read books for beginner REI)http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/04/14/best-real-estate-books/?

My ultimate goal is to save one year's salary, have passive income, and go full time as an investor.  

possible but unlikely, because I'm buying homes specifically to rent, I expect the tenants to be somewhat hard on the house, and I would never manage that a/c transaction so stupidly.)I could go on, but I've found nearly all of the conversations I've had about this have ended up with the story-teller relating some problem that's ultimately of their own manufacture, and could've been avoided by management knowledge you get here, or just basic business sense.

@Logan Lehmkuhl  Be sure to check that ultimately the seller can do this - still have the loan in her name. 

Ultimately she owns half of that investment now.

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out the The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing and don't forget to set up your Keyword Alerts!

With my previous job, lenders were contacting me to buy house, and ultimately I got pre-approved by 3 different lending institutions and I set up to find a 'house hack'.