I know in Denver its ranging $200+/sf here. 

I've seen property in the area sell at 200$/sq. foot but that's top of the range on a very well done property in a healthy market.

I've seen 1800/mo for new build houses in the 250k range.

I don’t know if I should use leverage or cash and what price range I should target for my first rental, then what would be the suggested basic strategy moving forward for a goal never having to get another 9 to 5er.Thank you and look forward to learning,

My plan is to buy a place in the range of $200-280K with a walkout basement so I can rent it while we are living upstairs.

Homes in the neighborhood range from 500 -1.25 mil.

If you need rehab and a stabilization period, you may see rates creep up into the mid 5% range. 

I would probably stick with growing your portfolio with mid-range cash flowing rentals (focus on low maintenance properties), or scale up into multifamily units (if the numbers make sense).

What i found interested me the most was Multi-Family in the 5+ unit range, the relative safety is what initially attracted me to it and as I learned more about it it became my passion.

If you have personal assets in the 900k+ range, I think it'd be a mistake not to have coverage.