I would enlist the services of a foundation contractor or structural engineer if you are really unsure.

Tile can be nice, as one cracked or broken tile is easy to replace while engineered wood/laminate can be a pain to get one "plank" out for replacement.

What matters are the numbers with $$$$$ in front, and how often you add them to your "scoreboard".I don't see any numbers with $$$$$$ in the above post.Reverse engineer your plan, and start with the end in mind...you financial goals, then work backwards (to the start) from there...until you are at where you are now.  

Hey Folks I live in the District Of Columbia and I wanted to ask everyone on here if there are other websites  or either search engines to track down landlord/owners.

PM me if you need the name of an experienced realtor that also invests in rentals.

You should be able to recoup the costs through your own market activity (plus some), you'll gain plenty of useful knowledge you didn't know you needed to know and as a mechanical engineer I'm certain you can handle the 60 hours of coursework and exam.

The East Bay is where most of the gentrification in the Bay is happening, with the rapid-transit system, BART, being the main engine of growth for people who want a quick commute into their jobs in San Francisco.

To get started, I would really like to find experienced investors who I could do some work with in exchange for showing me the ropes.

Having to do an engineered system is usually a deal buster as they are very expensive

Here is what they experienced.