Not to mention I'm trying to transition to a new line of work, so purchasing closer to "home" was much more important than getting something closer to work.  

Also, in Memphis (with terrible public transit) most folks have & drive their own vehicles ... that can mean needing parking for each college age student living with them.  

I just want to make sure it functions before I start transitioning everything over to it.

With a strategy to build a rental property portfolio (a mix of 1-3 year buy and holds and longer term rentals) to transition full time to a real estate career what should be my next steps.

I'm looking to get a number of wholesale deals under my belt and then transition to a flip.

They will know what are the good areas, the bad areas, and the transitional ones.  

You must hold them in your personal name to get the financing, so beings your going to go through a transition at some point with the properties, you might as well set your self up in advance such that it gives you the most and best benefits. 

Hello, I'm currently working in sales and have been managing a few rental properties on the side for the last 10 years and it'd be great to get a job where I could learn more about the industry before transitioning to RE full time. 

In the meantime I'm educating myself as much as possible on real estate.I'm looking for property located close by one of the major transit lines for easy access to the courthouse downtown, and I may be doing my purchase as a partnership with a friend of mine.

She's considering house hacking here in NYC (or surrounding) but isn't sure whether she'd qualify and how long it might take to start as a transitioning US Citizen.