I actually recommend house hacking as a first step if possible. 

With $20K to work with and a being new to US real estate I would recommend partnering with someone local.

These are usually from personal connections we have made through the years and the investors usually want proof of experience to participate in any deals.Can you recommend any lenders in particular for SBLOC product?

I tip my hat to you because you are way ahead of many of your peers. 

I have purchased the following books:ABCs of Buying Rental Property The ABCs of Property Management The ABCs of Real Estate Investing The Advanced Guide to Real Estate InvestingThe Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money DownWhat order do you recommend reading them in?

In tip top shape both in the mechanical systems, design, and upkeep2.

BiggerPockets also has a calculator to analyze deals, and I highly recommend you start this as soon as possible, even if you are not ready to buy.

@Morgan TondreThank you for recommending me as someone who can help @Cole Dobbs

Quote from @Paige Gardner: Does anyone have Any HML recommendations I'm a beginner and want to get started right away but want to weigh my options  Local to your market, happy to connect to help or point you in the right direction.cheers!

I would recommend taking a look into Columbus Ohio as you can still find positive cash flow and very strong appreciation here.