Thankfully she was prepared for the extra costs, but if I had it to do again I'd nail down these exact costs in advance.I learned so many lessons with this first deal, so please ask away if there's any more insight I can give :)

There are so many skill sets that you have had trained into you, that prepare you for this business, or any business.  

I am prepared to make my first deal in the Grand Rapids MI area, what a terrifying and exciting thing to do.

I asked if I can bring them some leads can we get them to close so I wrote down about 40 different properties for sale along with the askin price the bedrooms baths etc. what else should I have already prepared to bring to their attention to make sure we can take action and close a deal 

Hopefully folks will see it not as a "this is why you shouldn't do this" but rather as a "prepare yourself and don't believe it's as simple as they make it look on TV". 

I feel that preparation was key to this deal. 

Prepare to learn more from these wonderful people than any high priced guru!

Anything that can help build and prepare me for the road ahead couldn't hurt and I thank you for it.

But why not just double down on the solid job you already have, which will allow you to build capital and knowledge until you are better prepared to start investing in the strategy that you determine will lead to your 5-year vision? 

I am trying to prepare myself in a way to be able to invest in real estate property like a rental.