I've flipped properties and now I solely do flip-to-rent (BRRRR method). 

That would be step one. 

This is why it is so important to have those sample properties from step 1. 4.

It’d be advantageous to use the allocation method that puts as little as possible in the land and more in the building.

I am also completely new to the process of purchasing a home, and I’m not quite sure what my first steps should be.

Our next step is to pull equity out of a property an use it for our next purchase.  

I was thinking about holding the 17K to help me get a hard money loan so that I can do a deal, but I starting thinking that maybe my first step should be to get my debts down so that I can do deals without the worry of them not getting excepted because of the debt to income ratio.

What methods are you using which have gotten you wholesalers?

A person "notifies" or "gives" a notice or notification to another by taking steps reasonably calculated to inform another person whether or not the other person actually comes to know of it.

Legally, what should be my next step?