If I were you this would be my game plan.1.

@Stuart Udis you sound like one of the good guys :)  This line is GOLD, "90% of people who post on BP about entity formation or transferring properties from their personal name to an LLC cannot articulate the risk they believe they are protecting against"Its a game of risk/reward.

New construction is very low margin game...

That'll actually put you ahead of the game.

Its also an active investors game. 

When you are within two years of purchasing make sure to have good tax returns to submit as lenders will want tax returns for last two years.Use the money you have saved and your tax returns to buy a duplex/triplex with an FHA loan and house hack.That would be my game plan in a nutshell.

Maintenance and cap-x does not, in large part, have to be a mystery game of wait n see what happens.

Anything is fair game within that driving radius.

Aloha Chris, you can do more than practice,  you get into the game with OPM.   

No experience and no skin in the game will also be an issue with the lender.