That being said, I’d tell her to write the offer if you’re confident in your numbers.

Once you feel confident buy a duplex and house hack it. 

I suppose you could help them out of the goodness of your heart but, you couldn't do it for compensation unless you were registered/licensed in many states (California is one of those states) and doing it without that paperwork could subject you to civil and criminal penalties if you ended up taking title to that property, or received compensation in exchange for helping them or made some promise like, you are there to help them.Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post but, if you don't understand what the general qualifications are for a loan mod, I'm confident you shouldn't be doing what you say you are doing, or trying to do.

If you're really good at what you do, another way to learn is to invest passively as an LP on large syndications and slowly but surely make it to the GP side of deals.You could also start by house hacking and when you feel confident and experienced enough, take on family and friend's capital down the road for a larger deal.

Based on pictures I can’t see any major renovations needed but I’m confident it needs something at this price.

Most types of real estate is difficult, it's just they way you choose to go and if you have saved money to help with the way you need to go.You can also get 0% credit cards to help you get started as long as you are disciplined to get it paid on time and how confident you are. 

We've been told that our finishes are some of the best they've seen so I'm confident it's not that.

If you start now and gain some experience you will be in much better shape and have more confidence during the eventual downturn.

Navy is dark enough to convey confidence and perceived personal value, but leaves space for others.  

How confident are you in your repair estimate.