That makes me wonder if those lenders will lend more on the places vs regular lenders.

As for the areas to target, my goal in getting our feet wet as real estate investors--and since we plan to be living in Sac--is to find a property we can live in while renting out one or more units to help cover our housing expenses, which we can then hold and continue to rent out when we move.

After selling the property, my real estate investing journey went on hold for several years while my family grew to a wife and three beautiful daughters. 

Holding this for 1 month (hoping that's enough to refi) that's $5k.So my aim is to save money overall by making a cash offer and close it soon.

Buy/Hold? 

Whereas, if you are holding $1,000 cash flowing property and the markets shift, you likely still have a cash flowing property that can sustain itself, and even help supplement another property that isn't in as great of an equity position. 

Be sure to hold a hefty reserve to handle on-going maintenance, capex, taxes, and insurance.

Since you’re already networking and have some good realtor contacts, focus on narrowing down your investment strategy (like buy-and-hold or house hacking) and target markets with solid cash flow potential.

I’m passionate about learning and improving my process to provide real value to investors, whether you’re focused on fix-and-flip, buy-and-hold, or any other strategy.Looking forward to your thoughts and insights!

Although it isn't some miraculous contract that will hold a buyer hostage, there can be repercussions to you and/or the agent you eventually earn a commission with.