You would suggest that I maybe buy first a multi-family with a few units to start and possibly live in one to start?

Hi, We bought a 6 unit multi family.

The previous owners turned in into a single family home.

With a house hack you buy a single family and rent out rooms to roommates to make money OR a small mult-family (2-4 units) and rent out the other apartment(s).

A cheap place to get to and stay, with good weather and plenty to do, especially for spouses/family that may be less interested in real estate. 

So if the house is worth 300k and you owe 200k then most you could pull out would be 40k (minus costs) and it would be a second mortgage most likely which would be expensive. 7.5-9.5% likely.But, you can put as little as 15% down for a conventional loan on a single family.

After the project managers left, I sat there and just talked about real estate, family and what he has done to amass 60 multifamily units in the Memphis area.

Generally, there are some programs for foreign nationals that are 25% for a single family rental and 30% for a 2-4 unit.  

Why fly the whole family with you.  

Quote from @Marcos De la Cruz: Quote from @Drago Stanimirovic: For a single-family rental (SFR) that's free and clear, meaning no mortgage, the acceptable minimum annual cash flow depends on your investment goals, location, and risk tolerance.