Otherwise, people can easily become discouraged if they don't meet that "milestone" in 5 years.Debt is a tool that is very useful and very powerful when used properly, but can be a very real game-ender when utilized foolishly. 

On less expensive projects, the difference of a few thousand dollars from material cost increases or timeline overruns etc. can easily blow the budget.

I would like to get smart on this so I can really evaluate opportunities and create some confidence when evaluating opportunities.Thanks in advance!

Those are the big financial risks in early 1900s homes, and if they've been addressed, they can make for nice houses to add to your portfolio.A good, investor-friendly agent will know how to evaluate those homes and give you good buying advice.As for locations, the Midwest still has plenty of 3/2 houses that list under 200k, but they are getting tough to find in ideal neighborhoods.

This isn't easily done or managed on the iPhone and doesn't really accommodate keeping your personal and business contacts separate.  

When evaluating mobile home parks you would need to know about market value of current homes, are they single wide, double wide, is the park 100% full, are the utilities public or private, if private are they in good working order, what are market rents for homes in the area, what are rents for apartments, how much is the lot rent, how much are they paying in rent on each home for the 50% currently owned by the park, is it in a good market, are the rents being paid at market, are the lot rents at or below market, what are the real estate taxes, is there rent control, what capital improvements are needed for the park, etc...

These are usually 50-65% LTV, but the proceeds from the refi should easily cover this.5.

I have around 2-3 grand in student loans (I'll be able to pay them off easily), but other than that I don't have many expenses - however I don't have a ton of money saved up to go and buy a property.... 21 years old working full time as a receptionist at a private commercial real estate company, hoping to quit in a few years and become a full time investor.

If you decide to sell, I wouldn't make any decisions about repairs until you are closer to that time to evaluate the current condition of the market and the house to stress test what is needed. 

When you are evaluating appreciation, ignore the COVID period.