Best of luck on your journey, the DMV in my opinion is still one of the strongest markets in the US to get started in.  

I was thinking maybe Houston because my boyfriend lives there and I’m there a good portion of the year as is, but I’m open to any good market.

and I also rent to voucher holders in the Milwaukee market. 

I'm extremely new when it come to real estate. I'm a second year accounting student in Ottawa ON and I have been looking into sales on assignment as a way to real way to get into the felid of real estate. I don't have...

There are some markets that you may be able to make a purchase with what you have available. 

Hi Max, I can speak about the Columbus Ohio market (as this is the market I specialize in) but yes, there is strong competition here and there are obviously some cash buyers and they will always have a slight advantage.

I see it every day in my fundings I do in 8 markets. 

Uptick in action in the secondary mortgage markets I suppose?   

They’ll have a strong network and be more in tune with the opportunities available in the rental market, whether you're interested in single-family homes or multi-unit buildings.If you're focusing on single-family homes, try to keep them within the same area.

My method has always been to call every listing that hit 90 days on market in areas that I want to buy.