I know of two older duplexes for sale in Mount Vernon right now, or look in Sedro.There are some great meetups in Bellingham and Marysville, and I love meeting with people in Skagit.

Or would higher rates pressure prices that one doesn't generate a positive ROI on a rental property in a rising rate environment?

My advice is do your homework and don't feel pressure just to "do a deal" and make sure it makes good sense.

 @Zachary LaJoye - Hey, do you feel the pressure of always needing your house to be full?

I'm still wet behind the ears and looking for my first deal.I started up a window cleaning, pressure washing, and gutter cleaning business August 2016 but that was under my Father-in-law on his books, and I started up officially under my own business license in February 2017. 

Can I just paint over the original paint (after pressure washing, of course!)

I'm getting into a home in Pine Hills which has outdated galvanized pipes, which are rusting and decreasing home water pressure.

Don't feel pressured to start investing when you have no significant capital to invest. 1) You barely have enough to cover down payment and closing cost 2) You are going to use another loan to add capital and 3) You are in a tough market (Nashville); that means you are in a seller's market and could easily get outbid multiple times.

However, there would be a requirement that the work be completed within a certain amount of time (6 months I believe), so there would be some pressure to find a contractor and get that work done.Find a property that she could reasonably live in. 

But once you have a solid QI on your team, a lot of the pressure will be off you - someone is there to tell you what each step is and make sure everything is documented appropriately, which is totally worth $750 to me, personally.If you're interested in staying invested in RE, a 1031 is a powerful tool to get accustomed to.