Angel investors might be interested, but you'll likely have to give up a portion of the ownership or future profits, and there could be potential complications in managing the investor's expectations and involvement.

If you buy the single now your DTI will be negatively affected for future properties.

You might use the word in the future to explain your idea.   

I know for the forseeable future I will be based in Quantico, Virginia but I am definitely open to out of state investing!

If the manufacturer doesn't have a color that's close enough, you can change to another manufacturer and try to match against their stock colors.Good luck with it!

You're dealing with your "bad apple" that will forever help you curate your search criteria whenever you place future tenants. 

I am thinking about the future and how I will purchase properties in the future.

@Bill B. yes a good AI platform will keep a DNC list and or scrub for DNC and prevent communication from happening in the future. 

My only concern to look out for is that things can go 'rural' pretty quickly if you start venturing outside of town, and most lenders are going to put the brakes on financing if the appraisal lists the property as 'rural' (has to do with what they perceive as the availability of future tenants).Watertown, NY - It probably is as good as you believe, but the lending licensing is pretty tricky up there, so its just  bit more difficult to find lenders that operate up there.

One question for the community is: What are the next best steps I should take to further educate myself and get started in this industry to set myself up for future success?