Being a first-time homebuyer, I was able to take advantage of a 3% down FHA loan.

One piece of advice is to learn about the tax advantages of real estate.

When I first started flipping I definitely took advantage of connecting with as many wholesalers as I could.

Have you considered charging some small fee to both sides to further prove to the seller you're not in the business of taking advantage of them? 

One additional consideration is that we're in the 35% tax bracket, so if we go with the 30yr option, we could take advantage of the tax savings (~$100 - $250 per month for the next 5-8 years depending on how quickly IRS will increase the standard deduction limits).

Here are a few suggestions on how you can maximize the wealth of information available: Check out the blogs and podcasts, or take advantage of the search feature (magnifying glass).

Highly recommend self-managing so you can take advantage of a cost segregation and the short term rental loop hole!

This is a great place to learn and to connect with people so take advantage of all the great resources.

Taking advantage of people in foreclosure can be equity skimming and equity stripping, depending on the circumstances.

Services like these take advantage of people that are not knowledgeable on lead gen.