This also goes for getting a credit/debit card to spend only for your real estate investments. 

The key is to not go crazy with opening up a bunch of credit cards, but rather be smart about what accounts you open. 

Once you can recite all of this for any property you are evaluating in any market anywhere in the world you want to invest you are ready to start raising capital from investors to start buying deals.

I think my custom made post cards were $1 something from Vista Print and I pay somebody $0.40 a card to handwrite them.

I’m out of VA loan money and this will be our first actual conventional loan experience and it’s because of this that we’re thinking of doing a less than ideal home that we can fix up over time while saving for another more acceptable home to raise two growing boys in.

If multifamily isn't in the cards what does the single family look like in your desired market?

I believe, however, that if the Fed starts raising rates and they see falling real estate prices, they'll cut rates immediately once again.

Because it is a SFR, you can raise rent as you desire, but you have to provide at least 60 days notice (because they have been there over 1 year).  

If you're focused on salary, you can move every 1-2 years and get yourself a nice raise (again, provided you're good at what you do!).  

This means getting a credit card and using it responsibly-don't make purchases that you don't need, but use it a few times each month to buy things that you'd normally pay cash for and pay it in full every month.Start saving and researching costs of properties.