Your reputation is more valuable than all the money you have.

I am grateful for your valuable insight.   

After five years you'll have earned $90,000 in rent income and gained $34,000 in appreciation.Buy four houses with $50,000 down on each.

Out-of-state is more ideal once you have gained experience.

This ensures any future equity gains benefit only you and allows you to control the property fully.Buying a Third Home: Using proceeds from the rental home's sale to buy another house hack and renting out your current home entirely could generate substantial rental income.

Hoping to meet like minded people and build a team to grow a valuable cash-flow portfolio!

You likely still would owe capital gains tax on these. 

Quote from @Patience Echem: When I hear cash is king, I have understood it to be a negotiation tactic where you offer all cash to quickly gain the deal.

A good property manager can handle tenant issues and reduce your hands-on involvement.Building a Network: While you don’t currently have local connections, networking with other investors, attending real estate meetups, or joining online communities can provide valuable insights and opportunities.The next steps depend on your financing options, preferred markets, and whether you’re willing to manage tenants directly or prefer to stay hands-off.

I can only assume that our insurance company would not want to cover damages and such should something happen a house with tenants and a primary residence policy in place. but I haven't really gotten far into the weeds on the particulars of that. if you have gained any insight to that I would greatly appreciate the knowledge.