Jordan E Smith, as frightening as variable rates may seem on the surface there is much to consider when looking at the product. 

Portfolio Loans (or maybe another product) - talk to local credit unions, typically only for commercial or multiple SFR/small MF packagesI suppose you could also go the land contract route but I don't know enough about these to provide advice on the matter.

They are able to provide hand written products at scale for a personal touch.

What’s some physical guidance you can give to someone like myself who’s never done a wholesale or fix and flip?

i left eXp after 4 years joining REAL in July, both are online with no physical offices unless a team has one, such as myself. eXp did really well for me, in terms of their stock incentives the provided when i first joined in 2017. since then, they have reduced the financial benefits and the main reason why i switched over to REAL which went public on the nasdaq in july. 

It is certainly worth reaching out to your own bank to see what options they have for you but you should always shop around for other products.

The FHA loan product is not a bad one by any means if it helps you purchase your first property.

Try to find a "good" lender that will work with you to find the best loan product for YOU. 

As you are not physically there you want as many eyes on the property as possible before you take the steps to begin marketing. 

As Brandon said, the physical vacancy risk for a nice rental is quite low.