You’re already off to a strong start - having a mentor and diving into the BP podcast library is a huge advantage.For first steps, I’d recommend:1) Get super clear on your buy box (budget, location, strategy).2) Line up financing so you know exactly what you can act on when the right deal pops up.Since you’re in Atlanta, house-hacking could be a great entry point locally.

All are set to instant book but I do not have super flexible cancellation policies (I think I am Firm).

In that scenario, activities like direct tenant communications, dealing with turnovers, coordinating with attorneys, contractors, and vendors feel like they should fall under the “material participation” bucket, since the investor is actively running the portfolio.That’s also what I meant when I asked which platforms/tools most RE investors use to spend the bulk of their time managing these day-to-day activities — since those hours are what typically count toward eligible material participation.Your context on how the IRS distinguishes between investor-type vs. operational activities is super valuable — thanks again for laying it out so clearly.

Some investors bring their own buyer’s agent, but you can also just work directly with the listing agent if you don’t want representation.Investor-friendly title company/attorney: Super helpful to have on your team.

I'm not super computer savvy, but chat gpt set up an auto search for Redfin for investor friendly properties that automatically sends to my email.

This is a super important question and it doesn't just apply to contractors.

Also, the amount of time that it's been sitting says that the seller isnt super motivated.

It was super helpful to me and he earned money and we both benefited from it.  

I have been reading on older posts about financing options (we'll be using a 'net sale' price so probably somewhere around $300k-ish), but haven't seen anything super recent that reflects the higher interest rate environment we're in today. 

Hard money, on the other hand, can be super useful if you’ve got a strong exit plan lined up.