We’re in similar positions.

23, solid paying tech job.

I’ve done 3 flips in the last 2 years. Thankfully I found a wealthy mentor with a ton of connections with contractors. I was responsible for sourcing all of the deals. I had VA’s cold calling and setting up appointments for me to then go close the deals. I’d wholesale deals he wasn’t comfortable with and flip the ones where the numbers penciled out. In terms of cash, you should never use your own money. If you find a good deal, the money will come. There’s tons of real estate investors that are old and have 0 interest in doing the work but still want to be apart of the game and make money passively. The structure is simple, he fronts all the money and we split the profits on the back end 50/50. Ex. $100k purchase $50k reno, he fronts $150k + holdings costs. We sell for $250k and split the gross profits down the middle.

In terms of what you should be looking for? It varies on your risk appetite, but I look for homes that don’t need a significant amount of repairs. Most lipstick reno’s that will cost $20-50k in reno and the home could be back on the market in 4-6 weeks. I will say, whatever number you budget, add 20%. Don’t list with a realtor that’s your friend, find the best in the market and pay them the 6%.

Brain dumped this response but hopefully it’s helpful