ice cream melts and concrete cracks. 

So I contacted several PM's and had three in mind, but one of them only will take the "cream of the crop" listings in the great zip codes.

I have about 30K set aside for my first deal and just want to get folks feedback before getting too far ahead (definitely the analysis paralysis type...)I have been keeping an eye on the Seattle market and cost entry is just bananas, but I have been taking a look at duplexes just south in Tacoma WA, and have seen a couple fairly distressed properties (20k-40k rehabs).I want to house hack my first property with a rehab, doing a fair bit of the work myself (i have a bit of experience in construction) and farming out the rest of the heavy work.

Now, where renting might make more sense would be some old crusty investor guy, single, one foot in the grave, the other on a banana peel, liquidated holdings to cash for the estate, rents to avoid final issues or transition to the nursing home and who still play in RE flipping with others or having rentals under management.

usually the cream rises to the top and aren't hard to find.contractors - please - dime a dozen.

Just assume a long hold, the people who get creamed are those who assume continued fast appreciation to make their plan work.

I own face cream that costs more than that house. 

Unless, you are a seasoned landlord who can handle this neighborhood (which I'm guessing is pretty rough just based on the numbers), you will get creamed on these deals with repairs, vacancies, etc.  

It is just about what flavor of ice cream you love and the occasional bad taste you can stomach from it, keep going, and be happy still.    

Banana (another fruit served a computer company well)) would be better than using Real Estate, Properties, or other names that quickly identify that you are investing in real estate.If you wish a cuter name for your business cards, etc., you can always file a DBA (doing business as) and revert back to the LLC name for official business.