If he’s able to rent out the property in Tacoma either STR or MTR (military bases have great tenants) to hold it long term as long as it cashflows enough.

I have a great 800+ FICO and about 60K for a down payment. 

Over 75% of US cities have less than 10K people so the city staff and planning dept are very accessible and are a great free resource to understand zoning and where your vision can fit into their community.

Quote from @Ruben Espejel: Being actively involved in the Great Smoky Mountains rental scene lately on behalf of my clients has prompted me to evaluate my property inventory.

More growth and the rust belt is still not doing great economically. 

It's great for a landlord if the tenant is properly screened. 

As Guadalupe said above, a DSCR is a great option for buying with a lower DP but it comes with the caveat of higher interest rates; and as Nate said, National Bank of Coxsackie in Glenmont is a great local bank which wont sell your note to larger banks.

I'll send you a message to get more information from you. 

It has a great mobile app that lets you snap receipts and later match them to transactions, keeping everything organized.

They will be able to guide you through setting up financing, creating an investment plan, getting subs set up, and creating an execution plan.A good investor focused Realtor should be able to guide you on what markets you can afford, help you focus on your personal risk tolerance, and find a property that fits your skill set and financial goals.The more educated you are as an investor the better, but the right Realtor is going to unlock a wealth of information that is going to super charge your knowledge of investing, and help expediate your plan.