Be as specific as you possibly can with such things as locations, desired return (cap rate, cash on cash, etc), property style, etc.

Hey @Dante Campbell im a local Pittsburgh investor myself. like everyone has pretty much already said education, meet up, and a life style are the most important things at your stage.

Basically (in my prior MFR career) I was required to research local management company styles and physical assets to determine their styles.

The most common portfolio style loan in Texas is a 20 year adjustable rate loan.

We actually have done a couple of house hacks just because of the expensive market we live in, so while we are new to the "investing" world, we do have some real estate experience...We purchased our first house in 2003 (at the height of the market here)- it was a cape style home built in the 50s with an original kitchen and bath and the upstairs had never been finished. 

Don't get me wrong, I am not against banks, if you do go that route, having a local/portfolio style bank can be helpful to create a long-term relationship. 

@Clifford PaulI like your style, I might have to take your idea of scotch and cigars!

No need for special patterns in the slab, go for color and style something more generic and cheaper.

So I'll go ahead and apologize ahead of time because I often have run on sentences and typos everywhere because I use a voice to text feature so I can even use my phone while I'm driving a front-end loader. A simple q...

Depending on the current siding and style of the house, you may be able to get away with siding the lower half in the Hardie.