Duplexes for sale starting at $585,000 with a 3.75% interest rate.

Studying the local market makes a lot of sense.

Send me a PM if you'd like to discuss.

Would it be a good idea to get a real estate license and work in real estate or are there other options to get in Missouri to get real estate experience without a license? 

A PMC is the ONLY one that will deal daily with your property.Here's some copy & paste advice on hwo to screen PMCs:Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

I'd recommend looking for a house versus a condo.

I had some success in doing a house hack short term rental with my first property and wanted to continue growing my portfolio.

This is a good opportunity in a strong market, and with your excellent credit and HELOC funds, you’re in a great position to make this project happen.

Another post that person purchased a cheap property in april that just finished a $12k rehab (how could it take so long?)

Flipping is a really tough business.