Get smart.

However be smart about it. 

One - you are smart enough to ask the questions, but not ready to take people's money until you know the answers without having to ask.

Not smart. 

What would be a smart option for someone who is just starting out?

Also, the market currently is fluctuating and I don't think it's smart to maximize our debt at the moment in case values drop dramatically or there's a lag in finding renters. 

And now he bleeds you dry on payroll hours.Employees will bleed you dry if you aren't smart enough to keep them on track and and efficient.Most of the worst guys out there i have hired have "been doing this 30 years...."

Buying a personal home, in my opinion, is not a smart way to use your debt to income ratio.

You have outlined a very smart strategy, which is VERY important for any investor to do when they start. 

What I like about Fresno is that the crime rate is slowly going down[1], that its a large city with potential for opportunity, that the city is investing in cleaning up the downtown Fresno area through a revitalization program[2])What I would hope for with the bullet train from Fresno-Bakersfields is new job and growth opportunities in both cities through more mobility, which would eventually translate into more real estate opportunities.I agree that the parts of the plan they took out which would have connected Central Valley with San Francisco and LA would have brought the most opportunity, but I am somewhat hopeful that if they show some progress and ROI in the reduced scope, that the other plans could get picked back up at some point.[1]https://abc30.com/fresno-crime-rates-drop/3599901/[2]https://revitalization.org/article/fresno-ca-shifts-decades-dumb-sprawl-smart-downtown-revitalization/