I feel this will give my family a great boost towards our dreams as well as setting up our children for financial freedom early. 

I ultimately obtained a Real Estate License (NJ) and became a property manager for a company in NJ.

@Neri Bermas regardless of what market you choose, with $50,000 capital to invest, I strongly recommend financing a better class of property than paying cash for a low end asset.

I'm actually looking for cashflow and would like to obtain many properties over the course of many years to maximize this.I need to start with 1 or 2 (if possible) and go from there but I'm trying to find the right market to start with.

Asset Protection for REI - should be read before ever starting in the business 5.

House hack...It's the easiest path to obtain a few rentals without much down payment.

This debt alone is an asset and worth considering. 

I just feel like that will take months to obtain when I’d like to be done with my first flip in the next 4 months. 

If he sells to you with owner financing then you can pay him monthly, a check that he can depend on that is back up by a real asset.  

I was able obtain a traditional loan with a $1,200 mortgage payment, while I rented out the three rooms I had available for a total of $1,450.