Hey Ryan, if you're considering between other states I would check out Cleveland, OH.It's a great opportunity for fix and flips and turnkey opportunities.

I am investing in REI for my families future and have absolutely no intent of looking to "get rich quick", replace a job, or use father time as an excuse to make hasty decisions and potentially leveraging myself too far.

However, there are opportunities to be found in amongst the mayhem.

Oh one more tip, ask specific questions, like who is going to not say “yeah im great with communication” , be wary of this trap too because you want the PMs to focus on doing their jobs rather than answering 20 emails from each investor each week, time is our most valuable resource please don’t take up too much of it, when you say “yes” to something you are also saying “no” to something else (opportunity costs)Questions to ask:- what is the eviction process like after COVID 19 in your city (ask for details and differences beforehand)- what are the city rental regulations, what is the process to obtain a rental license, how would you rate this city compared to surrounding cities on difficulty with this process and working with landlords- how do you handle late fees and payment plans, if a tenant calls and says they’re going to be 5-9 days late but have been on time for 6 months what is your response- if multis - how do you handle tenant conflicts- why do they work in property management and how did they get there- if you could invest in any city in the state where would you and why (I love this question because it will tell you if they know where the most profitable areas are for investors and ROIs and hidden costs)- how is water/water bills handled in this city

The best time to decide on which lender to work with is after you're under contract and have the opportunity to lock in your interest rate.

I cannot do a conventional loan because I do not have a job and my husband is not ready to input his info (for his W-2 job) for a loan application so I am trying to think what loans will work for me? 

Those teams normally don't do a great job.

You also might make some useful connections for buying supplies from HfH's ReStore in the future.I don't have any DIY projects at the moment, but I'll keep you in mind if a good learning opportunity for you comes along.

We broker private money loans to investors in the states we are licensed in (although most of the business is NJ, PA and the Northeast).We originate 1st lien position loans with attractive LTVs.If you would like to chat further, I would be happy to connect and then show you a couple opportunities as they come up!

OP will probably end up working with a rookie then come back on here in a month complaining about how real estate agents don’t know how to do their job.