The key is the fed knows they need to help mortgage rates right now so if they lower the fed rate AND stop selling the treas bonds in their porfolio, that will help create more demand for bond sales to keep prices up and get rates down a bit.I can see mortgage rates hitting 5 to 5.25 by spring of next year. 

Any other advice you can provide in that situation to make sure I don’t get taken advantage of?

There is practically no amount of money that would get you there.Market on VRBO and/or Airbnb and call it done.

I am just getting started and only have a couple units at the moment.

Get creative if you like but end of day a property is only worth what someone will pay.

I’m ok leveraging and borrowing money to get them.

If a property needs a lot of work, it might have a hard time passing VA (seller won't make any repairs to get the property sold). 

Theres a lot more on the topic so I’d recommend searching past forum posts on getting started as an agent.

You should consider: appreciation, can you get reliable property management there, crime area, etc to name a few.

I have been looking at rental properties in Connecticut (where I live), but I was thinking I might be able to get more cash flow with an Airbnb.I have seen these small cabins in southern Vermont on Airbnb.