There is plenty of free info out there.Find someone doing it in your area and take them to lunch.

I have read a few introductory books on real estate investment, and I am now looking to take steps towards purchasing my first property as I love to greatly research anything I want to start doing.

Be kind to yourself and take a minute to be proud of the progress and good decisions up to this point.

I would recommend taking a look into the Columbus Ohio market - you can still find single families that will hit the 1% rule, positive cash flow, and have amazing appreciation. 

I may also need to take out a small loan/line of credit to complete the house, depending on how far my money stretches. 

Similarly, by renting out their house to a STR operator, the landlord receives secure rents rather than taking on the heavy lifting of operating a STR. 

The 8% I mentioned was for the loan we would take if we would buy the property as an investment property, that would be a different loan if that makes sense.

There is the perk of being able to put 10% down instead of 15%+, but you'll take a pricing hit with the minimum 10% down payment. 

Can they prove how long it takes to rent a vacant property?

Ohio markets show up 3 times in Zillow’s 2024 hottest markets, with Columbus and Cincinnati taking the top 2 and 3 spots.