Sounds like neither you or your agent really know what they are doing. 

Hi there I have primary residence that I would like to access its equity to begin my first RE investment.

It seems to be a human knee-jerk reaction to show resilience in the face of disaster.My theory is that the second line of houses looking at the debris field in front of them are more likely to sell.

During the past few months we had a minor price correction like many other markets due to the high rates.

Go to Etsy and search for "rental property tracker," and you will find hundreds of nice spreadsheets to track 10-20 rentals, usually for under $10.Software has extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button, and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.

It looks like to get started, I will need to do my first deal out of state, perhaps in the Midwest or the South.

And I like that about this area.  

That's like JFK asking if this is a good day for a drive. 

If not, at least protect your friends and family like other lenders would want to be protected.

Hello,  I'm new to Bigger pockets and would like to know your thoughts on buying homes for Section 8 rental properties.