I have been working on sourcing deals in Lafayette as well, but the market is pretty thin here compared to the options even just on the MLS in Indy. 

It's tough with a market like that to start in.

Wishing you ladies much success with your US investing journey. 

Wishing you all peace, love & prosperity!  

I've started my journey in the expensive Seattle market and found house hacking a duplex gave me a tremendous boost as my first property.The top 10 advantages that played out quite well:1.

You should know markets and understand rentals business well.

It sounds like you won't have any trouble qualifying..In Oregon there are some tenant laws that can restrict active CAP rates, but those with current market rents (or that can attain them near term) can approach double digit return rates.

In my opinion Option 1 could be a bit risky in today's environment as we are not sure if prices have hit the bottom yet, there are positive signs in the CoS market that point to price appreciation in the future, but there is a good chance the interest rates are not coming down for a while, which will have a negative impact on home values. 

What are your thoughts on the Kansas City market?

I already own property in Oklahoma (a quad) but I live in San Diego, so I want to enter my own market and this would be a more affordable way to do that.