Moving to a new state, starting a new job, AND house hacking?

[Quinton Slay]

Hi, everyone. 

I currently live in St. Louis, Missouri but will be moving to Rhode Island to be with my girlfriend in 2018. I really want to house hack a 2-4 unit home in Rhode Island. Therefore, I need to secure a loan and purchase said property prior to moving in July 2018. I have never done a deal before so I am brand new to real estate and real estate investing but with the help of Bigger Pockets I have gained confidence and even met with an Agent in Rhode Island last week. I am learning about the area and actively looking for deals. After looking at renting in different areas, I am confident one unit or 1.5 units can cover the mortgage.

I do not have a ton of capital, and that is also why I am against throwing money away and paying rent to some landlord that is not named Quinton Slay (me).

My girlfriend and I have determined it is best (if possible) that my name and my name alone go on the loan as she is tied up with stuff at the moment AND in the future, we could use her name to fund a second FHA at 3.5% down.

The questions: 

1. How do I secure an FHA loan for a Rhode Island property when I will not be moving until July? -How long after purchase do you typically need to move in?

2. I won't have income in RI until July 2018 either. Won't that create a roadblock? - How do I over come this?

3. Might it be wise to look into Hard Money Lending or Private Lending to help fund a deal due to my situation?

4. I understand Private and Hard Money Lending is usually used for short term projects like BRRRR or fix and flip. Is it crazy to try this form of funding on a house hack and refinancing to a 30-year mortgage a year or two in, or is it smart/creative?

5. How would a brand new investor go about finding a PL or HML? Is that even possible?

As always, any and all advice is welcome. I love to learn new things in real estate so I would love to hear from several people experienced or not.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

[Sung Park]

@quinton slay i was in your shoes at the beginning of this year. To be closer to family, my wife and I decided to move to philly from D.C. so I needed a new job and we wanted to house hack. Fast forward to now, we live in philly, I have a full time job working from home at the same salary from D.C., and I just closed on a duplex to house hack. And we did all this with two little kids, it was stressful and exhausting but I think it's going to be worth it for financial freedom. Wish you the best and just take it one step at a time.