Is starting out flipping my best bet?

That is bound to be lucky so I bet my 50/50 guess is dead on! 

Ask the gas company what happens when a gas main in the street fails during winter; I bet their answer is they figure out how to dig it up to fix it.

I bet the property they sold devalued by 30 to 40% while the one they bought in PDX went up at least 20% the last 8 years as its been full this whole time and rents have incrased by 20 to 30% since they bought it.

I bet if he said he had a load of cash but had no clue how to start, your response would have been much different.  

I bet it would eat them up.

Chose my location based on the job, convenience, and family, rather than where was affordable and good for investments.Your traditional Asian parents may not see the vision of REI yet (and may never), but I bet they would be all for you buying your primary residence.

I also am owner of a new sport called CROSSNET (check out crossnetgame.com if your interested!).

Some lenders will work with you if you have 2 years of self-employed tax returns - though I don't know whether that will work with FHA.Best bet is to call a mortgage broker to see whether they have a way to help. 

The best bet is to analyze each and every flip very thoroughly.