HI @Jacob KazmierskiI would suggest saving a certian % you fee comfortable with and then put the rest into a high yield savings account.

I can suggest some other areas as well depending on where you guys are looking. 

Any feedback on the listing/suggestions from anyone would be greatly appreciated! 

I stopped paying the 1%+ and my principal finally started to decrease, significantly.My suggestion is that you ask brokers for recommendations that are in the area where you are purchasing your property and keep calling banks and save thousands of dollars you can use to invest for your next purchase.Two things:  Your broker wasn't getting rich on a 1% commission and the 1% you paid to your broker didn't keep your principal from decreasing; it was probably the cash out he got you (and at a higher LTV than the bank would lend you I might add).Banks and brokers each have a place in the lending arena.Stephanie 

Stanley - I would suggest that you go have 3-5 conversations with lenders and understand how much they are willing to lend to you given your financial situation.

I would potnetially even suggest they pay a big more than value if they are getting that good of a payment/rate.

Any suggestions will be helpful.

Any suggestions are appreciated.I have about $50K in saving and could potentially get to $100K in cash for my very first real estate investment.

I'd suggest avoiding co-ops if you want the option to rent it out later.

If you are running into DTI issues, I suggest looking into DSCR loans.