Wish you the best good age to do this as well..

I think having an interest in real estate investing at any age is wise and you can always fall back on your degree should you choose.First, can you make a career and future out of property management?

Quote from @Jules Aton: At your age with a family I would be hesitant to go all in anything different than what is paying your bills.

.- A few others may appear to be giving their personal advice, but if you track their posts you'll soon see they are actually covertly promoting a service provider:(3) Age of advice - be very careful with this one.

You're starting this journey at a perfect age, and diving into the community through resources like Rental Property Investing shows you’re already on the right track.One key piece of advice as you work toward your first rental: stay laser-focused on your numbers.

Is she at retirement age?

I began at about your age as well and I'm confident this strategy will give you valuable experience with acquisition, project management and property management.As far as analyzing deals and determining potential upside, I'd recommend you to connect with an investor friendly agent in your market. 

You do NOT want to overwhelm yourselves with a major renovation on your first deal.Check Major Components: As you noted, verify the age and condition of the roof, HVAC, and water heater.

For me a great wealth builder was (1) a DEFINED BENEFIT plan allowing me to defer tax on up to $350,000 per year at age 50 when I was in the highest tax bracket; and conversion to and into a ROTH 401k (all self directed) over a 5 year period at a lower bracket and a BIG discount for the non liquidity of my retirement portfolio investments.  

And at full retirement age so the thought of 30 mortgages is a non starter.. what few rentals we have are paid for and its exceeds your equity by quite a bit.. so instead of buying more we just rent our cash to others that want to flip homes.. thats a happy medium and far more true cash flow than owning the homes..