So keep in mind that perspective and timing have a lot to do with you perception of a market.  

So your age has a lot to do with this question.

This helps her understand that it means a lot to me to do it but also that I'm willing to not move forward.

Yes, definitely looking out of state - but still have a lot to learn before then. 

I am looking at a sale of two lots together in a residential area, walkable to a small university. One of the lots has a house which can be fixed for rental and the second lot is currently vacant. Seems like the vacan...

I'm plannng on going ... there's a lot to be learned there. 

Ok there is a lot to answer here but I'll try my best.

Check out the nearby members and network at https://www.biggerpockets.com/meet, it will help you a lot to find partners that can help you out in investing.

These landlords simply have a lot to learn about the true realities of business to be able to reach a professional level of understanding.

I have used both depending on which had loan terms more favorable to me at the time; for example, I used a 65% LTV private money loan when I had a lot to put down on a house but wanted to avoid making payments on the loan during the rehab b/c I needed the cash flow; I used a 100% LTV hard money loan at a time when I had more cash flow because it required less down and all the rehab costs were folded in so I knew I had the money to pay for the rehab.