Best way to finance your first investment property

[Account Closed]

Much of the advice I read says the best way to start investing is to live in your first home so that you can go FHA, making it a little easier to get started (lower down payment).

My situation is unique in that my boyfriend just bought a house and I am living there with him, so purchasing and living in my own investment property full-time is not an option. As far as I can tell I have just a few options:

1. Go FHA and use that home as my current address, while essentially going back and forth between the two homes (risky, but I do work form home so this is doable). If I understand correctly, this will only be an option until we are married, since as a married couple we couldn't purchase a second home FHA due to the owner occupant rule. If we were married and I wanted to purchase a home myself with an FHA loan, would that be possible? Under the FHA guidelines, could I use a different address than my spouse's?

2. Wait and save for a conventional loan, but for me saving a 20% down payment on homes in my area will take possibly several years.

3. Save and get a conventional loan and purchase a property in an area where prices are much cheaper. The problem here is I will need to use a property manager, thus reducing my monthly profit.

I'm interested in the FHA route, but it seems tricky since I'm unmarried but not planning to live separate from my boyfriend full-time. Any thoughts or tips for how to pursue an initial investment property in this scenario?