@Wesley A ShowalterAs a mortgage lender, I typically prioritize cash flow over appreciation for first time investors. 

Mainly to collaborate and share experiences. 

Out of all the items you are looking for how would you prioritize them from must-haves to being okay without? 

If nothing else an eviction notice will motivate them to prioritize your bill over others they have to pay so maybe you’ll get paid first and their car gets impounded 

I personally suggest you prioritize house hacking and once you have it rented out and can get a sense of your monthly cash flow and potential savings, I would pool those funds into a down payment on a new property... and then another... and another.

A property management company I think will prioritize rental income as their priority.While my approach is not for everyone it works for me.  

While we are not currently in St Louis, that is where we do most of our inversing.there are a number of meetups you can find on the biggerpockets network tab or meetups.comWould be happy to connect and see if there are collaboration opportunities.Please don't hesitate to reach out connect and DM me

I want to surround myself with like minded people, I am here for any support and collaboration (present and future).

I want to emphasize we the owners do prioritize safety, and want to be above board. 

happy to collaborate and answer questions you may have and provide some insight, tips and best practices that I have implemented in my business.