Right now I am in the stage of research and learning the basics/fundamentals from books, YouTube and now BP.

Good provider or not, you need the proper market fundamentals to support whatever you buy.Happy to share experiences or resources anytime if you want to reach out.

Like @Andrew Johnson noted, they start off targeting 500 doors and forgetting about fundamentals.

One fundamental question bugs me: it seems that loan providers usually ask about the purpose of the purchase (self-used home vs. renting out) and charge different mortgage rates and fees (that part I understand from having worked in the financial industry myself), but how about the following scenario: I buy a single family home or condo, rent it out for the 1st 12-18 months (since I'm currently outside of the US but already obtained green cards) and move in as our own primary home after that.

Location is primary and fundamental.

I would suggest no matter what option you go with, you need to look for locations that have good fundamentals.

I have little tolerance for agents that break some of the most fundamental rules of their business.

After reading a few books to try and understand the fundamentals I have no idea where or how to start.

@Arturo BorgesBecause it plays on the fundamental rule of being successful in business, "Buy low, Sell high".

That play is executed so now its more likely that I will have to look for strong fundamentals and cash flow than a home run like the prior.