My only concern to look out for is that things can go 'rural' pretty quickly if you start venturing outside of town, and most lenders are going to put the brakes on financing if the appraisal lists the property as 'rural' (has to do with what they perceive as the availability of future tenants).Watertown, NY - It probably is as good as you believe, but the lending licensing is pretty tricky up there, so its just  bit more difficult to find lenders that operate up there.

I usually like to start it shorter to be safe if I need to end the tenancy, but I know some people opt for the longer 14-15 month leases.

So, starting with a budget, and then narrowing it down to the must haves, then the like to, then any bonuses. 

Just bought my first rental in Indy last year and wanted to start my airbnb business.

Your mentor’s advice about starting with a rental property is solid, and a duplex could be a great option for house hacking.

If not, it's just a matter of waiting for the lender to start lending in that area again. 

I had started a meetup that was getting a solid build up, but unfortunately, Covid hit and I had to stop it.

I have read the book on long distance investing and still am not too confident to get started.

Best of luck on your journey, the DMV in my opinion is still one of the strongest markets in the US to get started in.  

Or should I stick to my original strategy and maybe even start looking to refinance soon?