Add that if your job is in Las Vegas, which it is, then you are basically stuck.

Pretty much had a failing business and needed a way to have an income as I pretty much couldn't get a job.

I have experience with real estate from a construction and leasing viewpoint because if my day job but figured the next logical step is to start investing on my own.

Motivated sellers (there are always a few in any market who need to sell and move) would have to lower their asking price to find a buyer who is able to make an offer.https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/affordability-index.aspWith regards to finding the local opportunity areas, the seasoned investors there said they followed the cement trucks to the job sites.

I’d try to get a technical high paying job and dump my extra w2 money into real estate deals instead

More time to spend with family, not being tied down to a 9-5 job where you need to beg for time off, wanting to leave something for your kids when you're gone, buying what you want when you want, volunteering somewhere more often, etc.

I'm currently studying for the bar while simultaneously searching for a job, preferably in real estate law (or something related).

I am mainly interested in passive income and do not plan on being a full time investor as I have a full time job that I plan on keeping, at least for the foreseeable future. 

You do not hire someone because they are down and out you hire to get a job done properly.They are down and out because they are a failure.

I do not have an enormous amount of time due to my job (50-55 hours a week) right now, so as little flipping and Reno as possible is my goal- at least at first.