Have you made a research on house prices, rehab costs, time on the market to sell and etc?

In DFW I think there is probably some demand for STR management. 

Use tools like the VA loan for house hacking and your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to cover living costs while building equity.

You could also buy a single family property that you can either fix and flip or house hack.

Sometimes they forget to tell you that many tenants in Detroit don't pay (depending on the property manager skill and the type of tenant) - but taxes are very high in the city and so is insurance. 

Are you currently managing your own properties or do you have a property manager because many times a property manager can perform the work needed for it to be turnkey.

Hi @David Boley - I can give an update since my first house. 

@Noah Laker Will you be running the house or leasing it to a company.

Fico while they will look these are not credit score driven loans like those buying rental houses or houses to live in...

Since your goal is getting into commercial real estate, it might make sense to start with a smaller rental property like a duplex to get experience managing an investment.