I had some success in doing a house hack short term rental with my first property and wanted to continue growing my portfolio.

As owner can I propose in another states sold by owner?

Pittsburgh has to be one of the best markets for house hacking so we are definitely blessed.

The second lot had the remnants of a tennis court the original owner had built, but was now in disrepair.  

Was the home in a build to rent community, meaning it was all investor owned houses?

I have seen this same house that is vacant (all the classic signs) I have located the owner ( I have not reached out to her yet).

I appreciate the encouragement—I'm excited to learn from and connect with investors in this community.Right now, I’m primarily focused on house hacking in the LA market, but I’m open to exploring out-of-state opportunities later in my career.

I have had sellers agreed to owner financing as well as sellers to take steep discounts, as well as sign a purchase and sales agreement with me on the spot. 

The lender just records the warranty deed and is the owner of the property.  

VA loans can be assumed by anyone (investor, veteran who doesn't want to use their entitlement, and non-veteran) so long as the seller is willing to leave the portion of their entitlement that they used with the house.