I have had to truly suck up my principal which has been hard and one day I might but starting out you know that it is just survival mode so you can afford to grow more and ten years in be able to be more picky if choose to change routes. 

If you wish to double check every pre-approval letter that is your prerogative but you are choosing to do this work yourself.

America they can eat anyones lunch they choose to at any given moment. 

Mine is buy a solid house wherever you choose, get it rented as an LTR and have a property manager manage it. 

Let us know how it goes and which direction you choose

You may choose to keep a really good property you fixed where the equity grew by 30% to 40% in year 1. 

When house-hacking, I would choose the market that you're already living in.

A better approach might be to find a REI Association in the area(s) and ask other investors for their recommendations - it's not uncommon to choose a different appraiser depending on the type of property (residential vs commercial MFH vs. office or industrial) and the objective of the appraisal.

@Austin TessTo buy your first multifamily property, follow these steps: get pre-approved for financing with an FHA Loan, identify a high rental demand market, choose between house hacking or pure rental strategy, analyze the property using the 1% rule, build a team, negotiate the purchase, and manage the property professionally.

If you choose this route, make sure to have clear, written agreements in place and maintain a professional landlord-tenant relationship.