@Jenna ChenHouse hacking a value-add duplex in Atlanta is a smart strategy to build equity while keeping living costs low.

@Anthony Becerra I believe you are looking for a pre-approval letter.

The mold house would only be a good investment if you can buy it at a low enough price to cover the necessary renovations.

We also have relatively low expenses (personal expenses, mortgage/escrow on other rental property, and escrow on current property) that are around ~$120k/year.

Like someone else mentioned, FHA loans are good in low credit and high DTI scenarios, but tend to be less bang for the buck compared against conventional.

Plus,  if you have the ability to do another FHA 203k, it's a no-brainer.The low down payment is unbeatable, and then add on that the bank will all finance the renovation!  

Since you're new, start by narrowing down a strategy—house hacking is a great way to get started with low upfront costs.

I should probably focus less on the highs and lows and aim for that average ARV per location and what buyers/renters are looking for. 

Low barrier of entry, landlord friendly and you can find deals that cashflowI agree with @Patrick Drury about Columbus.

Here is your direct quote from the post about low ball offers: "So back to low balling when doing this you’ll get a lot of emails like the one I’m about to show you, this shows that 90-95% of RE agents have no clue how investors do business and they don’t care how investors work, but you as an investor always need to keep your cool and always be the nice guy because you never know that dumb agent might have the best deal one day and if he or she remembers you, you’ll probably get the benefit of the doubt."