Talk to a qualified lender to go over your intent and run over your income to see your current qualifications.They will be able to help formulate to plan of action for you to achieve your goal. 

I was wondering how accurate the phone/email data is. 

There are good sponsors that have a bad deal but what I have seen typically is the sponsor lacks significant experience - they have experience in marketing and raising money - which is not hard when you are promoting 15%-40% returns that clearly were not achievable on a consistent basis. 

It would achieve goals of both purchasing a primary residence & investing, and significantly reduce the amount of money you need to contribute towards your first investment.

I suggest defining your goals – what exactly do you aim to achieve?

Your house-hacking goal is achievable with an FHA loan, even without related field experience, as long as your income supports the mortgage. 

In short, to achieve and maintain financial freedom.

One recently sold property isn't enough data.  

This includes removing of all commission data from the MLS both past and present.

Comparing the two using this market data tool it looks like the following:Indio vs Palm Springs Airbnb Market DataROI: 10% vs 6%Revenue: $49K vs 56KAvg Airbnb Price: $621K vs %1.2MADR: $418 vs $422Occupancy: 54% vs 68%So it looks like Indio is more affordable and higher ROI, with lower competition.