Real Estate Investing

[Jacob Sanchez]

I would love a second opinion on my situation or any information that you think would be helpful! I am a 21-year-old realtor that lives in Southern CA looking to invest in my first rental property. I have about 5K liquid and I have been looking at areas I can afford, but with the stricter lending guidelines, I know I will have a hard time getting pre-approved. I've researched and am confident that I can analyze a good deal on a property and run my numbers as well. Also, I don't necessarily need a new place to live as I am living rent-free with my family for now. So here are my questions

1. Should I be looking at trying to be approved for an FHA/USDA loan, renovate, live in the property for a year, and then rent it out? Or should I be looking for a loan for an investment property? 

2. Wholesaling is very difficult in my area, but should I put my effort into trying to find a wholesale deal to have 20% down for that property and wait? 

3. Would a better route involve using the BRRRR method with a hard money lender to get started on my first property?

Any help or insight would be much appreciated! Thank you very much!