What would you all recommend to be a good route to go for our first deal, Wholesale a property, go through private investor/lenders for potential flip of a property, or going through the bank getting a FHA loan and renting out a home or two flat?

I use a flat-fee MLS service. 

My experience with roof coverage claims, (unless catastrophic) has been difficult if not impossible.We had a mixed use commercial property where the carrier dropped us for a 'potential' roof leak...it had a flat roof on the large warehouse portion, hence prone to leaks!!! 

That just adds one more complexity to the deal, however, and in a competitive acquisition environment you probably wouldn't be picked as the buyer if you asked for the seller to carry unless the property was tough for the seller to sell such as a Class D with a flat roof.For me, if I see an assumption deal I typically just kick it off my list which explains why I haven't done one. 

I really want to do a 2 or 3 flat as my first deal but as I haven't gotten my feet wet yet I find it hard to dive right into that.

I like beenverified.com for background checks on a monthly flat fee, but no credit check.  

Did yours agree to a flat 7% even if they bring a new tenant?

Generally they charge a monthly flat fee in the $100 to $200 range, and then either a commission split or a flat transaction fee when you do a transaction.If you want more info, PM me and I'll pass along their contact info.Good luck!

But on average I would say that a month a year baked into your expectations will do you right long term.

Jon,Speaking for sfr rents are fairly flat.