How does a high LTV affect future opportunity?

[William Sullivan]

I'm interested in financing a multi-unit property in the Boston area with an FHA 30-year loan. This may mean a $400k+ loan with at least 3.5% down.

How would this 96.5% LTV affect my ability to obtain future financing? Will future lenders take this into account or does my monthly DTI / net worth matter more than the LTV of a particular loan?

I don't want to over-leverage, so I'm considering buying remotely and financing with a conventional loan at 80% LTV. I'm hoping this increases my risk tolerance and marketability to lenders.

Any thoughts?  Thanks in advance!

[William Sullivan]

@Wayne Brooks Thanks for the feedback!  That's a good point.  I hope to keep driving costs low in either case:

This might be naive on my part, but if I invest remotely, I'm hoping to get my feet wet with a turn-key property with a property manager. I was thinking the remote property may be more passive than the house-hack FHA. Is that a realistic expectation?

Hoping to use cashflow from the investment to help fund my living expenses and build equity through appreciation.  Cash flow would be my priority for this first property.