With the lower price point rentals, you basically just tread water.

I have heard positive things - expect lower overall returns in exchange for them doing the work! 

I started looking a bit into Rochester which has a way lower price point for multi families and single families but obviously I would be unable to house hack as it is 5 hours away from NYC which I will not be commuting lol.

The key is really focusing on the right neighborhoods, knowing your numbers, and being patient for the right opportunities.As for the fix-and-flip market, the lower entry costs can definitely make it a great place to start, but you've got to be mindful of renovation budgets and timelines.

As far as ethically that is part of my nature and I don't care for the aggressive (potentially predatory) strategies discussed by others, but I see value in offering a transparent and convenient service with lower costs and faster turnarounds than traditional MLS transactions. 

@Erlson Neba Much less stress and headaches than rentals especially for lower end areas where the ongoing maintenance will most likely diminish any return you may hope to make and where appreciation cannot be expected.

For beginners, focus on markets with lower entry costs, high investor activity, and steady demand—like parts of the Midwest or the Southeast.

Just not seeing a good use case for FHA these days other than the lower interest rate.  

The agreement reached was the landlord would lower $100 of the rent (current rent: $3100) in exchange for us to paint the two bedrooms.

If they are legit and you don’t have any other offers then I’d have the conversation with them but I’d want a higher than normal down payment (ideally 50% or at least more than the normal 20%), a higher than normal interest rate (at least a point above the prevailing rate so like 9-10% right now, but you can structure it as interest-only payments so their monthly payment is still lower than conventional), amortized over 30 but with a balloon in 3-5 years, something like that.