Also change the name from Silicon Valley to Midwestern States Bank or Sun Belt Capital bank, do you think they get the help they wanted? 

GC should be experienced with some recent projects under his/her belt. 

For the househacking strategy, you'd be better off saving up, getting work experience under your belt to satisfy mortgage lender requirements OR partnering with a co-signer/equity partner where you control half or the majority of decision making.

And some of them require having at least 2 or 3 deals under your belt before they will do a loan with you.But they are all very reliable and they all close......If they can't do your area, they won't take your money.Given that you're only an hour and half south of me, you might find one that will work with you - especially since champaign is a fairly sizable town.

Most  CASH FLOW day one markets are in the mid west deep south or Rust belt.. and frankly they are all pretty much interchangeable.

Once you have a couple of deals under your belt than you can start getting more creative.   

Having Airbnb experience under your belt will help you tremendously when investing somewhere closer, especially since you'll have an easier time to make connections with local handymen and technicians that you'd call on in case your units run into any issues. 1.

It's the only city in the rust belt which the population is growing year-after-year.

Then, lastly, with some experience under the belt, some other properties acquired and operating, NOW it's a choice on this originating property of do you keep it and let it keep chugging along OR is it time to sell, and 1031 the remainder of equity into other deals. 

Don't be a PITA buyer or you won't see another deal sent your way.Once you have 1-2 under your belt, start talking to brokers who sell them off market (the ones that actually have deals will normally want you to have done a few deals before they'll send you stuff as they have a large number of experienced buyers that are asking them to send stuff so they don't have any need to send to someone that hasn't had a track record of performing)There is no "best" neighborhoods to buy.