Asking them implies they have a choice.

If not for you and you prefer the traditional route, I would explore potential "up and coming" markets such as Acworth, Cartersville, and Douglasville, where the price-to-rent ratio is a little more favorable, and growth is apparent.

I prefer to negotiate the purchase price removing any seller commission. 

If you would prefer to do it on your own than that is fine too and you will just have to grind it out and save like crazy but it will be worth it.

As when people lose their jobs, the vacations they take is the first choice to cut back on. 

I really want to start my investment journey but I'm not sure if an out of state property would be a good choice while renting in NYC or if we don't move, to move to a cheap market, live in the property for a bit and then rent it out.

Syndications are a great option for passive investing, but they're not your only choice.

A/B Class is your top choice as this will quality tenants. 

I'm not even sure how salary got introduced into this scenario but I'd prefer to discuss solutions and explore ways to get to the objective. 

Curious to know opinions from real estate agents, flippers, developers and anyone in the know regarding what home buyers generally would prefer.