If you limit yourself to a zip code or two I do not see you doing consistent flips.

It may feel uncomfortable at first, you may have to find what works for you, but if you want to consistently find potential deals without immense competition it's likely where you should start.  

Importance note:  Following up on leads daily to generate consistent deal flow

The city has been experiencing consistent population growth, which often translates to increased demand for housing. 

If I were to open up a separate real estate bank account, I would then have to add funds consistently from my W-9 job - which in my opinion begins to blur these two accounts together anyways.Should I still open up a separate account for this first house hack, or wait until I buy the 2nd property, which would provide consistent cash flow that will go directly into that account?

If you consistently analyze properties, recognizing a good deal will be much easier when it shows up.

In my experience, people with an athletic or military background understand the value of hard work and also realize that consistency will bring results eventually.. every set back is an opportunity to learn, grow and get better for the next at-bat.Training and onboarding:As far as programs or tools, I've tried monitoring CRMs and more in-depth platforms (like Sisu) to track agent activities/KPIs.

I have dozens of BRRRR's in this market and the biggest key to success here is 1 - finding sources that provide consistent deal flow2 - finding a contracting team that is reliable, communicates well, priced well, works in a timely fashion and most importantly has time for YOU.

see this thread.https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/1171104-the-m...the first few years of investing in real estate generally consist of... investing. 

I have a goal to post at least once a week to get to know you guys as well as make sure I'm consistently learning from people who are smarter than me :)When I started reading and learning about REI I felt pretty strongly about hiring a PM.