I urge you to consider all factors before making an informed decision.

Then approach the decisions about your property through the lens that you have created. 

I was curious, however, as to the factors that influenced your decision to invest out of the local area, especially doing flips which seems really tricky from a distance. 

Hello GeorgeI congratulate you for even being in a position to think about purchasing an investment property but I think you would benefit more both short and long term if you improved your existing situation before you pulled the trigger on any type of purchase.First of all, your 600 FICO will make your decision as to which type of loan you want to proceed with a lot easier than you think.

Ultimately the choice is yours, you have gut instincts and have met them... a poll on bp might not be the best business decision :) 

I just don't want my first buy and hold property to be a bad decision.

Yup, but it helps.It is a simple decision, but has to be based on your own internal needs and desires.

Your tax documents are just part of the story.As for bankers not giving a straight answer, there is a lot more than just ratios that go into the lending decision.

It's nice to be conscious of your realtor's time, but ultimately it is his decision whether he wants to continue to invest in this process.

That doesn't even address the issue of market appreciation of the properties in question, or the expected turnover rates for each, or a host of other issues.You'll have to do an analytical review of the pros and cons based on your values in addition to the items which you can actually quantify, and then base your decision on that.Good Luck!