Those who have done this multiple times already have thought of the gotchas and will likely save you money even if their hourly is significantly higher.  

So I was starting from scratch, again.

I'm a MEP design engineer looking to expand my investment portfolio and I'm just getting started and trying to learn all that I can.

Sounds like a consult with a real estate attorney or perhaps start with a call to city permits/zoning. 

Reading, learning, and contributing to the forums.The podcasts are great but I usually skip the episodes that don't apply to my market, or when guests get start talking about overly leveraged deals. 

I would just ignore until the inspection period expires  in the future have a 5 day inspection period that starts when the offer is accepted this should have expired weeks ago  My mom’s panel is 60 years old, do you think it’s up to code?

In my opinion, one should start in his own area, if possible.

It's no guarantee but it's a good place to start.

House hacking a 4 plex is what I often recommend to people getting started.

Ideally, I added enough value during the rehab for the refinance to replenish my capital enough to start looking for a BRRRR opportunity straight away.