You could let her know that you are too small to make reasonable accomodation if the stairs become an issue, but probably not worth it.As far as rent to income ratio, this is something you should set before you start taking applications, then stick to your standards. 

Hit me with your best advice, and feel free to ask – there's no such thing as a dumb question when you're starting out!

and/orcan you pick a market 1-3 hours away from Seattle and look there?

It is important before you start and get to far that you have an aim point...  

For apartments, I recommend you start with 'Crushing It in Apartments and Commercial Real Estate' by Brian Murray. 

Hi Dan, Refinancing at a lower LTV will make your monthly expense lower which helps your monthly cashflow but will also help you to secure a lower interest rate so that could be a good starting point for you. 

But there are so many nuances to that topic I can't even start to delve into it here.Your 2-4 unit theory will be tough.  

Might be a good place to start! 

Given that you'll want to have closer to 30%+ of the purchase price on hand for starting your first one.

We are initially looking at single families to start out but is a duplex a better option for some additional cash flow, or 2 smaller single families?