Whichever comes first But if I do move to Los Angeles first, I would want to house hack a luxury property or whatever nice I can afford. 

As @Steve Vaughan pointed out, full costs for utilities, lawn upkeep, and snow removal are easily offloaded to the tenant, and if things go crazy on the small lawns the fixer landlord can step in with his equipment and save the day before the municipality gets on his back.It's an affordable way for people with ordinary incomes to get into REI.

I've been window shopping a few first position notes but much like U2, I still haven't found what I'm looking for....or can afford just yet!

So you have the local populace all moving to nicer areas in the county because they can afford it.

@Peter T. you tagged Jared and I was like wait.. interesting to see another Jared on site  @Jared Smith

Now that doesn't solve all of your problems, but maybe eases the financial strain a bit if you're dealing with a more affordable house to begin with. 

I am posting this question in this forum to get a better understanding of which of the two locations is more profitable for a beginner with low capital as I have heard it's near impossible to buy in DC within an affordable range. 

@Verna Littleton and @Nathan Beach have jumped in and are ready to rock.From our experience with human beings, we always scout at least three other alternatives who can jump in and take over at any given time since we can't afford to slip.

Hello,Can anybody recommend a company for affordable flood insurance for a high risk property?

Do you have preapproval regarding how much you can afford?