Ultimately, I plan to hold the property and know that initially the appreciation will not be a big deal.

The people I’ve encountered in my 40 + years as a real estate investor and private lender who are successful have the following in commonThey are educated as to principles of real estate; real estate law; and real estate financeThey LEARN something new about real estate investing almost every day, and are open to realigning their strategy, tactics, and portfolio to encompass new information and knowledgeThey SPECIALIZE either in a strategy, property type or geographical area, and become EXPERT in that areaThey have survived real estate “depressions” where property prices have dropped 20% - 50%They understand the difference between real estate investing, operating a real estate BUSINESS, and having a real estate job.They network, for knowledge, capital and most importantly DEAL FLOWThe key thing to consider when you watch a YouTube video, take an “introductory” seminar, or read a guru’s website, is what is the subject persons BIAS?  

If money wasn’t an issue, we would buy rentals closer to home or back home in Florida which is where we ultimately want to settle down in.

This ultimately factors into your reserve assessment and your deductible selection.

My ultimate goal is to wholesale/flip and maybe even own a few rentals.

The wealthy person would always lose, because the broke partner couldn't pay their share, and the lender will focus their energy on collecting from the person they can most likely collect from.I've talked to many people over the years with stories of great partnerships at the start, that ultimately failed and one or more partners disappeared after things went south. 

; doing this greatly reduced the number of non-serious viewings...all this stuff saves me a lot of time and effort (which ultimately saves me money, and allows me to make more money).  ...so, I'd suggest studying up on how to streamline your tenant acquisition process--putting in some work up-front on that can save you a lot of time, effort and money in the long run.Good luck out there!

The policies that had been discussed for a year were ultimately passed but it was by a super slim margin. 

I'd wait until December CPI to get a better idea of what inflation is doing and ultimately how the FED will react.

I would think through where you ultimately want to land for personal and family reasons and allow that to inform the choice as well.