Deciding what I want to achieve: I want to learn a great deal more about real estate investing and continue to acquire rental property that will generate passive income, gaining financial independence, which will give me more freedom with my choice of day job in the future.  

-Ryan

If you are interested in being an investor as well as an agent then a Keller Williams office is probably a better choice. 

This is an amazing place to learn and stay current on what is going on in various regions/investment strategies for real estate.I would use your VA to get into a multifamily property as @Ryan Taylor said.

Given the cost and market I don't think the cost of stripping the brick is a choice right now and painted brick is very common in the area.

Ryan Anderson PM me and let's chat.

Old article, but breaks down the two choices-https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/11/1...The as far as out-of-state, you can go the turnkey route or the DIY route (I have an article comparing these two too).

I've checked out the pricing of Bitrix24, and the free option (<5 GB storage, to time management tools, no external users) seems to be a good choice for smaller teams.

There's pros and cons to both strategies, but the truth is this is entirely a personal choice.

We are using the title company of our choice, and the earnest money is in escrow with that title company.