You also need a good source to acquire the properties at a discount. 

Any tips or insights would be greatly appreciated!

@Jay Fayz Do you have a source of regular income? 

It depends on where you want to live, income, personality, and other factors.You could buy a large home and rent out the individual rooms to cover expenses, but this comes with problems.

I'll provide some tips below.2.

Do you check Landlord references?

Pretty easy to not check this and have a failure after you close...

If they are adjusting the amount they can lend because the margins are too thin or telling you the deal metrics are not checking out it is likely due to the expected earnings not being sufficient. 

I’ve been looking into areas like Oakhurst, Mariposa, Yosemite West, and surrounding towns.If you own or manage a vacation rental in this region, I’d love to hear about your experience.

When I see good deals I tend to jump in vs. waiting for this option but I still think this is the best option if you can afford to wait.2) Take out a loan from my 401K.