I understand that nothing in life is free.

You don’t want someone who could cause legal issues, neighbor complaints, or worse.There are plenty of qualified tenants out there who pay on time and don’t steal.

There are meet ups all over the country; i'd recommend a google search of your area to see what pops up. i'd also suggest joining local facebook groups for your area / surrounding areas and ask there.I tend to agree with Stuart here; your first deal should be your own capital here and serve as a proof of concept you can use as an example in moving forward to try and garner money from investors for future deals.Other than bringing a deal to an experienced investor it's unlikely they will want to give capital to someone who hasn't pulled the trigger before.

-My fiancée and I are planning on having our first kid by the beginning of 2026, so extra room would be ideal as we are somewhat limited in the primary residence. 

Yes, there are exceptions for significant life events (job change), but each individual must meet the FHA loan qualifications on their own, and the second loan must be for a valid reason, like a job relocation or other extenuating circumstances.

Are you wanting the home covered at full replacement cost?

The itemized damage estimate that my insurance provided me lists an Actual Cash Value that is 15% higher than my Dwelling A Coverage. 

In this market small multi families are not traded frequently meaning they do not have comps for these properties.

Just because a buyer doesn't fit the bank criteria, does not mean that they are a poor borrower.

There success inspired me to look at RE as both a short term and long term investment.Turns out there are many successful investors in this area.