I recommend you pick 3 areas(without obsessing over it- just choose your top 3, in the next couple of days), find 1 really good local investment/buyer realtor in each location- talk with them about returns and trends of the market, get pre-qualified with a great mortgage broker, and then see where the chips fall.

My philosophy is that the owner / Investor should be able to choose a broker that focuses on sales (in the right time) and a manager that focuses on managing. 

This will act as an underlayment for whatever siding you choose.

How do I find/vet/choose a BRRRR partner?

Alaska's appreciation and rents are low compared to many areas you could choose.  

And they usually choose the 8%.  

Because I wanted to start and not being scare, I choose a listed home and negotiate price.

My gut tells me to just choose any and call it a day.

People are choosing to spend money on things besides real estate if they don’t have to move.

After closing, you and your husband can do a very basic rehab, bring rents to market (since inflation has been running hot the last 18 months), and choose the tenants you want in there starting from scratch.