Pps  USUALLY you can’t get another primwry home loan for a year anyway  so anything less than a year screws up your next purchase  Good luck. 

I could also refinance before 2 years is up but closings costs for apartment buildings are expensive right?   

My advice is to house hack the property that you end up purchasing.

Let me know and we can set something up.

I grew up in Central IL and lived in Saint Louis in my 20s.

Perfect!  

Pete and visit my family up there frequently. 

I am planning to live in the main house with my grandma so I can save up some cash.

I'm giving myself a year to learn all I can and save up a down payment for my first long-term rental in my local area.

If you are looking for cash flow typically multiple unit properties are going to be your best bet but might require a little more work up front and there are not a lot of them around the area to scoop up right now.