Ideally I would try to get a 3/4 unit property somewhere in DC proper, PG County or Montgomery County (Takoma Park/Silver Spring), live in one unit and rent out the others. 

Get it going, get it live and you can always change/modify it.

Been listening to Real Estate Rookie and BP channel for a little bit now and this is my first time posting in the forum.I’m currently living in WA State and own a home that is under a VA Loan.

However, interest on the same debt used to pay personal living expenses, such as credit card debts, is not deductible.But, wait there's more... 

I live in California, and am looking to purchase my first rental property in Illinois.

We have lived in the MIL and rented the rest of the home.

That muddies the water a bit.

If you aren't familiar with them, check out Cold Water Gardens in (North)Milton for ideas on layout and competition. 

Minimalistic yet tasteful staging allows the buyer to see themselves living in the home.

. $10k in losses will reduce the federal tax due by $1.5-2k.However, the state tax due gets lowered by a very small amount by using passive losses to offset passive income as I assume state tax rate is quite low (I live in TX, so never worried about state tax) compared to long-term capital gains rate of 15-20%.