For most people just getting started a $100,000+ cash investment isn't an option, which is why HouseHacking is the most effective beginner strategy - you can get a good HouseHack deal under your belt for just $10,000-$30,000 cash in Tacoma, and there are great programs (like the WSHFC downpayment assistance program, and the BofA $17,500 free grant program) that a good agent can guide you towards to get the downpayment on a househack down to between 1% and 6% of the purchase price. 

Currently looking at the Tacoma area which seems more affordable. 

I encourage you to read the book "Mover of Men and Mountains".

If there's any money left over you can ask your parents to build a backyard cabin, like those built by MyKabin.com , leaving you with a residential home for your family, a basement rental for cashflow, and a backyard cottage rental for cashflow.Sell your Edmonds house and use your own cash to fund similar projects as straight rentals in less expensive areas (Renton, Burien, Tacoma, Everett).

absolutely.. a really good agent will make as much if not more than the average investor. but its a lifestyle and a commitment if your going to be successful.At the least you will have a much better understanding of the laws process and you will meet the movers and shakers in your area.

In the Pacific Northwest, the area of impact will cover* some hundred and forty thousand square miles, including Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Eugene, Salem (the capital city of Oregon), Olympia (the capital of Washington), and some seven million people.

Originally posted by @Simon Y Kim:Hey BP community,I am getting outbid on on-market properties in the Pierce County, WA area, particularly in Tacoma and Spanaway. 

North Tacoma is a great place to live, and the neighborhood around UPS is top notch.

Finding a property in Tacoma Wa in my price range is starting to become a challenge and I’m thinking about a townhouse for a first house hack.

I have a house in Tacoma, Washington near the Hospital, train station.