So does that mean I can't buy from a related party at all?? 

Quote from @Alex Spivey: I want to start renting as soon as I can so does anyone have adviceYou want to find a place to rent and occupy, or you want to buy an investment that you can rent to others?

Buy and Hold investing is a great avenue to begin with as most people live their lives off of residual income. 

Subsequently I ended up buying property in 8 states, and a couple weeks ago bought 5 properties in 5 days in 3 states.

Is there a buy out plan?

You can offer to buy the upstairs residents an area rug, but I wouldn't force it on them.   

And what type are looking to buy, SF, 2-4 MF, or 5+ MF? 

A landlord policy can be a commercial policy or a personal lines policy.It's the same as asking if you should buy a single family rental or a 1 unit building.Focus on the coverages and disregard the name of the policy.

You can also offer to lease with an option to buy to tie up the property until you are ready to purchase. 

Generally buying in nicer areas leads to better experiences and confidence in your investing, but lower cash flow when you move out.