Will you do a long term rental? 

Long time since ive been on here.

I have flipped 2 homes to keep the family budget where needed but hold and long-term growth is my one true focus.  

To be successful when you get into investing, you need to have savings, a lot of it to get started and have reserves.You can't house hack with limited downpayment, mediocre credit, and a lower income new job so your goals now should just be to focus on making money, taking care of your dad, and learning about real estate if you really think it's a think you would like long-term and not just the thought of passive income.

I am an investor friendly agent with 8 properties myself and doing str, medium term, long term and rent by the room strategies.

If you do this you'll have a huge pile of money that will allow you to pursue whatever strategy you want very quickly.If I had to do it all over again, I would buy a personal residence as soon as I could, probably house hack, then buy a new personal residence as soon as I had the money for another down payment then turning the old house into a long term rental.If you're just starting I'd also recommend listening to the Bigger Pockets and Real Estate Rookie Podcasts.

Check out YouTube videos or podcasts from Dave Meyers.Read "Long Distance Real Estate Investing" by David Greene.Don't expect to absorb everything in one sitting.

Yes you can refinance out as long as you qualify and meet the terms of the lender2.

My realtor says they’re pretty good but I am not sure an ARM is smart when I’m not putting a lot down and plan to keep this property long term.

But who wants to wait that long?