Newbie in pursuit of House Hacking in Columbia, MO

[Shakera Fudge]

Greetings BP!

Currently I'm a veterinarian and I'm renting a home in northern California. After paying $1600 for rent for a year and a half I became fed up and decided that I need to start house hacking as well as advance my career to earn a higher income. As a result, I applied to a residency program at University of Missouri, which will begin July 2020. Also I began listening to BP podcasts and audiobooks on real estate. Recently I completed reading the book "The House Hacking Strategy: How to Use Your Home to Achieve Financial Freedom" by Craig Curelop (Totally Awesome Book!). I feel more prepared and with a changed mindset I'm elated to embark on this journey to financial freedom! Although my salary will be cut in half as a resident and I have a substantial amount of student loan debt (over 300K *sigh*) I plan to purchase my first house hack this year and continue to do so throughout the duration of my residency. My plan is to have this established prior to July when I start my residency, which means that I need to get the ball rolling NOW! I am seeking local lenders and real estate agents in Columbia, MO, does anyone have any recommendations? 

Thank you kindly,