I'm starting a remote job and can buy my first home anywhere

[Emily Green]

I'm changing jobs to a remote private sector position and rolling my 401k over to a traditional IRA. I'm 26 and have almost 14k in that account, but otherwise have very little saved up so far. Since I'm going remote, I can intensify my saving strategy and move almost anywhere after my apartment lease is up in July. There are so many options that I'm learning about, and I'm feeling a little lost over where to start. The only thing I *know* is that whatever I end up doing, I want to be able to rent the property out later on and grow my income through rentals or Airbnbs. I also know that I can only withdraw up to 10k from my IRA once it's rolled over and would rather move home temporarily to save up money for the purchase than to take penalties for going over the 10k limit.

First of all, what are some locations within the US that I should consider buying in/moving to? The work headquarters and my family are both in the Memphis, TN area, but I want to make the smartest money choice and buy where I can make the smartest investment, whether I live there short-term or long-term. 

Secondly, should I buy a house and rent out a room to a roommate? A house with a guest house? A duplex? Buy it done or buy a fixer-upper (I'm pretty handy but can't do it all)? Should I build a house/guest house/duplex so that I love where I live from the start, or just plan on living there as long as required by the FHA loan policy and then moving on to my next investment?

I know that I need to save up more before making a purchase like this. But, in the meantime, I want to at least narrow down what city I should be looking to purchase in and what type of living situation to shop for or build in order to maximize the benefits of an FHA loan on my first real estate investment.

Thanks for your time and help!