At this point I don't think I will need to blend the two.

My recommendation to all first time investors is to purchase in the best neighborhood you can that will give you both a blend of a decent return, low maintenance tenants, and a history of appreciation.  

Granted this was a time period in which they were plucking up farm property for under $30K and rural areas blended with planned development over time.  

There is a blending of both types of education that will make you a better investor and more successful.

It sounds like you want to "blend in" vs "stand out" with your design. 

Short answer: find a blending of both, while RE is has less liquidity it is much easier to encumber for lines of credit, etc, while maintaining your ownership, tax benefits, and income potentials.

A) fire place, this should be a focal point but it blends with the paint and flooring.

Possibly a househack live and flip aka ("Blended Househack" by Ben Leybovich in his book "House Hacking") could be a possibility but otherwise I would just do a rental property. 

Do most people do a blend of both?

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