Hi,My ultimate goal is to own a ~20/30 unit or more apartment building for cash flow. 

Main goal is to grow total # of units for cash flow to be able to live off passive income within 10-15 years. 

MAKE SURE YOU DECIDE ON AN END DATE FOR THIS GOAL.

My goal is to have my first investment property by Summer 2018 in Greenville, NC.

As a newbie, I too have thought about starting a property management company, however, for me the goal would be to build relationships with potential sellers, as well as have the systems in place to more efficiently run my personal property(ies).

Start with some SMART goals, then from there you can fill in the blanks with what you need.

The goal is to live in our first home for 3-5 years, ride the increase in home values in Philadelphia, and then move to the suburbs. 

Whichever market you ultimately choose, make sure you understand in which part of the "real estate cycle" that market is currently in.  

Our goal is to get that 3.5% downpayment.

The exemption you choose will determine: a) the financial qualifications of your investors, b) whether you can advertise or if you can only offer the opportunity to people with whom you have established a substantive pre-existing relationship, and c) what kind of risk disclosure document, if any, you need to provide.