Any specific areas you like or any areas I should stay away from?  

Is there a specific strategy that you'd recommend for someone young like me to get my feet wet or should I just go with what I'm most interested in and have the most knowledge in, which is buy and hold rentals?

It may depend on your agreement with the bank, I don't know the specifics of your contract, but I would read it carefully, you may be able to do a bifurcated closing so that you can use your own title company for your side of the transaction.

I do not have any specifics on this however I feel all the information you will need can be found free on here, or by asking people with the right experience. 

While specific neighborhood recommendations can vary based on current market conditions, areas close to universities, medical centers, and business districts tend to have strong rental demand.

We made some adjustments to our pricing earlier this Summer 2022 to reflect some material pricing changes that we have seen.With that said, construction pricing can vary substantially based upon many factors including the project location, property type, specific SOW, material selections, contractors used, season of the year, etc.In fact, pricing can vary substantially from investor-to-investor and every investor will have different prices they use. 

Then start reaching out to real estate agents in the area you like with a specific focus on agents that have experience working with investors if you can find one.

This might include specific income or net worth targets, the number of properties you want to own, or other milestones.As a financial advisor specializing in real estate investments, I help clients like you navigate these decisions and develop personalized strategies.

Ill also throw in that there are usually a bunch of Facebook groups specifically for finding roommates.

A careful present value of the two strategies would need to be made based upon a specific investor's circumstances, goals and objectives to determine which would be best for them.