Pick 1-3 and dive into the local search for pockets of homes where the rents are 1%+ of the home valuation, income is 3x the rents, and crime is low (you can get more granular, but start here). 

If this is something I really want to pursue I’m going to have to dive in at some point.  

I would love some insight on some of these things b/c I am ready to dive in but do not want to make an expensive mistake. 

Dig deeper on the VA loan as I believe you have to live in the asset for 1 year prior to moving on to your next loan/home. 

If the deal still cash flows, it's worth delving deeper.

My wife and I are also full time workers from SJ trying to nose dive into brrrr investing in philly and I’m the one with the flexible schedule so I’ve been doing most of the research.

My partner is an out of town investor with deeper pockets than mine.

@Michael NaumanCongrats on diving into this journey man.

He also mentioned that most agencies are looking for full-time brokers.I am involved with a few other business endeavors (e.g. working with general contractors for renovating a 40K sq ft industrial building, investing in new $20K industrial building) to help expand my knowledge as I get deeper into real estate "deals".

However, after I dug a little deeper, it seems like the regulations, fees, and overall bureaucracy would make this market difficult to thrive in.