Rainier.There are choices, but personally I don't think cashflowing there is easy. 

I now have a few decent choices in Pittsburgh but it took me kissing about 5 frogs first. 

Of your choices, #3 makes the most sense, but it doesn't have to be a house hack.

Check the in person events and meetups in your local area, our online community is full of knowledge and folks willing to share and still nothing replaces the opportunity to interact IRL, you never know who you will meet and where that can take you on your REI journey. 

I got the same rate that I would get on any direct booking since they could see the listed price online.

Connecting with local real estate investor groups, attending meetups and conferences, either in person or online, can give you advice + support as well!

We opted to go with a smaller renovation and it was the right choice in the end.

As mentioned no need to hire a private investigator just use an online service to do a background check.

Basically you need to know what you are doing in DM or Online for it to work, otherwise, you will spend thousands of dollars without success@Jonathan Krauser.

Commercial and multi-family real estate are great choices in Houston.Good luck!