Payout looks pretty low to me.   

IE - when you're young and poor (low tax bracket), contribute as much as you can to a Roth. 

Like someone else mentioned, FHA loans are good in low credit and high DTI scenarios, but tend to be less bang for the buck compared against conventional.

Background on me: I need to obtain a graduate degree for promotion at work, but it can be in any field at low-no cost to myself.

@Sean DillonAt 18, you're in a prime position to start building wealth with low expenses and plenty of time to scale.

HELOCs let you access equity as needed, keeping costs low unless you use the funds.Key considerations: If you plan to scale quickly, the HELOC might provide the liquidity you need for faster moves.

You increase the likelihood that you continue to receive that $8,500 each month. 

Your total project cost is only ~ $143k. 3c) Your interest rate is probably going to be in the low to mid 7s, at least4) All states/areas are different, but I usually see with my CFO clients that their property taxes are higher than their insurance, with taxes often 1.5x higher than insurance.5) Lastly, I saw PM fee of 8%, are you paying someone else to manage this?

Low entry and breakeven deals +- some cashflow.

If you are not finding good deals money wont find you.If you earn a decent wage and are credit worthy you can start investing by house hacking a multi family with a low down payment mortgage.If you have no money or credit your best best is start finding deals and bringing them to other investors who have money.