I want to do this locally as I have been a long distance landlord when I moved to Florida and prefer to be more hands on.

Any one has first hand experience?

Many take a HELOC to reduce the amount of funds on hand.

I'm looking for a Internship where I can learn and do hands-on in the office or field for 15-30 hours a week.

It used to be just the tri county Portland area but with the new law it has forced there hands statewide.

I feel that the reality of it lies somewhere in the middle of the two.We found:One Rafter in the attic that was split about 18" from centerline down the roofOne water damage repair previously made by an owner to the floor joists in the crawlspace under a sloping wall.One water damaged floor joist that is literally crumbling in my hand. 

@Chris Lopez knows Arvada like the back of his hand and has mentioned Arvada as being a premier "House Hacking" area.

@Cameron McCown I would agree with you IF Zachary were a seasoned investor with a known good deal in hand because of the cost of lost opportunity.

Machiavelli put it best: "But above all things [the Prince] must keep his hands off the property of others, because men more quickly forget the death of their father than the loss of their inheritance."

My goal is to slowly fix and rehab, I plan to live in the home for 1-2 years, I am not too worried about the return right now my main focus is getting a first home under my belt to learn as much as I can, hands on and continue learning and saving money vs saving and throwing my money into a rental.