Buying my first property (Owner Occupy)

[Brian Wilson]

Good Morning BP!


I'm a Kansas City transplant living in the DMV area. I currently work in Reston, VA (bit of a commute) but will likely be working closer toward the DC area in the immediate future (1-1.5 years) so I'd like to get a property that makes sense logistically.

Additionally, considering how high my rent is for my 1/1 Apartment in Huntington, I'd say it's safe to assess DC and the surrounding areas, yield very high rents. Therefore I'd like to stay closer to the Fairfax County and surrounding areas.

I'm still very unfamiliar with the atmospherics of my local market, as most of my REI is focused on my hometown market of Kansas City, MO (where my business partner still lives) for various reasons. However if I could obtain a couple properties while living out here, that'd be pretty awesome. I'm open to house hacking, but would like to be able to float the rent if I can't fill the room.


So my question is, what advice would you all have considering the following?


Budget for mortgage: 1800/m

2/2 or 3/2 layout (Preferably a SFR)

Turnkey or Rehab (no preference, just whatever would be better given the market)

Will be using FHA loan

I'm sure similar questions have been asked here in the past, but before I reach out to a local agent, I wanted to get a feel for what I should be looking for from my more seasoned investors here.

Thanks in advance for your time!