Me and my partner moved from Utah to Maryland for school recently and we have a townhouse that we are looking to rent. we are currently remodeling and changing a few things before renting. what are the first steps to change my primary to a rental I lived there for about two years.

Also try looking into subdivision if possible.If you need a decent contractor/gc to consult with, I can connect you to my partner in the area. 

Buy out partner with Paper.  

Do you have a developer/builder with experience that would partner with you? 

Moreover, for someone in your position just starting, it's best advised to partner with an experienced individual to mitigate risk and adequately learn the process.

Partner up with money partners and you be the operator.

My business partner Chris and Myself make the trip each month to connect.

Great tools that get updated regularly.I am on the lending side of things and would be happy to hop on a call with you anytime to discuss financial strategies and help answer any questions you may have about nearly any loan product available to help you on your journey, even if they are not products my capital partners offer.We are all here to help you learn and grow.

this is what we build and we do it with newbies but make sure you partner with a builder who has experience and a track record.

Under 10k might be hard to get into unless you partner up with someone who has capital or can find a private lender willing to work with you.