Quote from @Marcus Bledsoe: This is an excellent thread @Jonathan Greene.

Focus on growth areas, understand local regulations, and use your rental history to build credibility with brokers and sellers.Good luck!

I definitely feel that a house hack strategy is an excellent way to start.

Find one that does not have a high-priced long-term monthly contract, flexible pricing, and excellent customer service.

The cash that would flow in a 30 yr loan underwriting scenario is sent back to the bank so that builds equity faster.Forced appreciation, while excellent overall, I am not sure it helps in this situation to avoid income from cash flow as that will probably both provide equity, but also increase cash flow right away. 

Dunmore is excellent too.  

The meetups are an excellent place to meet equity partners and private lenders and build relationships with them.

Through this platform you have an excellent opportunity to network and keep learning.

Here's a rough copy of the excel.

Without comps and a credible assessment of the condition, it could be a grand slam or  possibly 80k over what you should pay.