And is there any way I can start getting the ball rolling other than house hacking ? 

We all know we can keep thinking about what we want to do but putting it into action is an entire other ball game.What are your top 3 actionable items for a complete beginner who feels lost in the sense of being in a small town and no really local groups where one can shadow or work with?

- upping your max # of guests somehow- "no cleaning fee" & upping the nightly rate accordingly CAN be a big driver of bookings in some markets- having your listing/pics done professionally (by someone who specializes in STRs)- a great outdoor area- if you wanna spend $, i'm seeing lots of people adding pickle ball courts & more stuff to do outside like that - having a car there that they can rent on turo for cheaper than the rental cars from the airport

Nobody has a crystal ball to predict the future but, generally, rates will likely go down, property will appreciate and rent's will increase.Getting experience as a landlord is valuable too...

I don't like to tell people to plan on a refinance because I don't have a crystal ball, but you have 2 possible outcomes.

They are incredible deals and would give me the momentum to get the ball rolling in my real estate investing. 

None of us have that crystal ball unfortunately, but interest rates alone aren't the only way to determine the future of the real estate market. 

@Sara Ball, I did that and I can show you the steps!

Foreclosure lists I think can be determined at some sites like propstream (I've never used it so I could be wrong).3: networking with lawyers that do probate situation and/or divorce situations and want a quick close4: Owner occupant of a property on Hud Homestore - basically trying to help first time homebuyers buy - less competition5: tax auction and tax auction sites6: Offering on properties that have been sitting on the MLS for LONG periods of time and low balling them.7: Calling owners that have recently had their property pulled from the MLS.8: Wholesalers that are selling to you with an assignment fee.9: Low balling every property you look at on the MLS and seeing what sticks.10: FSBO with strong negotiation skills.11: MLS when you see the property really quick once it comes on MLS and put in a full price offer but it was mispriced low (I got a gem a few years ago that has probably close to doubled in values since 2020 when I bought it).12: MLS offers that you really want to ownI might be missing some others but these are the general classes of people that I have noticed. 

Sellers are still wanting "too much" as they typically think their deals should still be trading in the 4-5% cap rate range.While I won't pretend to have a crystal ball, I generally think: a) if you want to get a deal today, you are going to need to be more aggressive then you probably are comfortable with in your assumptions.