That way when I am really looking to buy the loan amount will obviously go up due to savings and job reliability. 

I need somebody reliable...Before I met my mortgage broker few years ago I went through a couple of lenders who wasted my time (2 months) and then said that they wont lend me.

This is why I think so.Do you have proven, reliable contractors you're going to be using on this flip?

I have a reliable broker (licensed RE) who happens to be savvy on finding fixer upper homes whose ARVs tend to be higher than the starting asking price. 

This is what I'd do if I were you.Go through contractors until you find the most reliable guys out there who get the job done no matter what.

Since some of my core construction and design team members will be moving with me, I will be able to quickly assemble a reliable team as @Kris Wong mentioned and can further reduce my learning curve by hiring a knowledgeable local real estate agent.

Look for a reliable property management company in the area.

KC and Memphis and other places in the midwest are where you can best get in the game with trustworthy and reliable providers and still get cash flow on the investment IMHO.

Where the section 8 is less reliable than the tenant?

Historically this has proved very reliable long term but especially the property prices have experienced short periods of depreciation (virtually always less than 5 years) and longer periods of stagnation.I make no claim as to continuing property appreciation as I could make a decent case for the RE market entering a period of stagnation, the market continuing to appreciate, or the market to depreciate some.However, I am still confident of rent appreciation in my purchase area (San Diego) for at least the next few years: 1) rents lag property appreciation. 2) vacancy rate is real low. 3) cost to add more than ADU is high - it costs around $100K to break ground for residential in San Diego (permits, surveys, etc.). 4) Minimum wage increases already approved. 5) one of the best weather climates in the US. 6) rising population: one recent study had San Diego as 13 highest population increase of large US cities. 7) geographically constrained: Constrained by Mexico to the South, Pacific to the West, Camp Pendleton to the North, and the East quickly gets harsh. 8) good and varied employment: Hard to imagine an employment category melt down that could impact the range of employment in San Diego. 9) environmentally diverse from mountains to desert to beach to happening urban center.Last weekend I sent out 2 rent increase notices.