I ended up going with a market I had already been to, Huntsville, and learned to do long distance real estate investing as well as the BRRRR method.

I don’t believe a tenant can stay forever, and I can cover the extra payments and lawyer fees for up to two years for the tenant who will be harder to remove.

they probably have a bunch of 3% nonconforming loans on their balance sheet so 5.5% is not bad, totally reliable payments, plus in a legal battle they'd likely find the power of attorney didn't extend to the ridiculous term and that there was no breach of any enforceable agreement.   

Currently I view real estate investing (REI) as a method of generating additional income apart from my 9-5.

Aim for a 620+ credit score, save for a down payment, and research markets with strong rental demand.

Account ClosedEven with high interest rates, lots of folks investing or buying homes do well with FHA loans because of small down payments and good loan terms.

Been with them 8 years, they've never missed a payment and they give detailed quarterly status reports. 

Did they have bank statements showing utility payments for the rentals?

Love the idea of helping out a first time buyer, may run into trouble if she's not the primary resident, check w/ lender but I don't think that'll fly w/o more of a down payment.

This way, you would have two income sources offsetting most, or all, of your mortgage payment.