It’s a bit intimidating since it’s outside my usual scope of business, but I’m committed to taking the time to learn how to be an effective landlord.

Quote from @Braeden Warg: Thank you for the clarification and information.I live in Cabarrus County and have experience in residential and commercial construction.

They are going to finance you based on your loan to value, experience, and liquidity. 

There's a lot of other things to consider here but I'll go through your list and make some suggestions based on 10 years of investing across various asset classes - single family, multifamily, industrial, storage, retail, office, etc. and I've had experience with section 8 housing, BRRRR, flips, etc.Purchasing rental properties?

Also, long term, I expect Sac will enact tougher restrictions on STR, given the intense housing crunch we're experience, so I personally don't expect that to a be a good long term strategy.

What has been your experience with LENDBASE? 

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

Starting with an owner-occupied duplex is a smart way to build equity and gain experience.

how much experience do you have?  

I would love to hear from others doing flix and flip in NYC on their experience on doing this business.