You never want to start looking at properties that are ultimately going to be out of your price range, so a pre-approval helps to get you focused financially.

Unfortunately , lots of newbies get stuck at the startup/education phase and never progress beyond listening to podcasts and reading  a few forum posts ... break that trend and take action consistently... 

I’m in the USA only because I want invest in real estate and achieve financial freedom...

The podcasts are excellent and its great you are educating yourself.

That would be the best financial bang for your buck.

It helps you narrow down the massive amount of information on the site.Don't get sucked into paying for education until you have done a good bit of self education.

Might not be worth it.It doesn't sounds like making the financial investment for upgrades whether you choose to sell or rent also makes sense.I'd cut and bail, take your money and do something a little better with it.

My podcast co-host Liz Faircloth and I are looking to interview successful women who invest in Real Estate to understand their secret sauce to live a financially free and balanced life. 

I can send you our financials and see if your interested.

My primary goals is to create some passive income through rental properties, either single or multi family homes, to start building wealth to secure my financial future and stop working full time to have more time to pursue my passions and enjoy life with family and friends.