You have to find a balance between gowing healthy and growing fast.

After mentoring dads for 30 years, I've realized that children (young or adult) want/need: (1) role models of integrity, and (2) healthy relationship with their parents (plenty of affirmation!).

Unfamiliar with Huntsville but heard great things about the Alabama coast and have several friends investing in the region..a healthy first step will be connecting with an investor focused and friendly lender. .check in with @Joseph Chiofalo he's my go to investor lender for 20+ years. 

I was able to leverage the still recovering housing market and low acquisition cost to turn a healthy profit, which allowed me to easily roll into the subsequent projects. 

Another skill I had to learn early on to establish a healthy sales career.

LOL... it is healthy

Awesome place (if a shade boring for a young professional), affordable housing, listed in top 10 places to live in USA often, has tech scene (research triangle park) with talent pool, 3 universities pumping out graduates, healthy arts and entertainment scene, ease of commuting, not crowded, space to spread out.

Always check and get your own numbers, what you see on Zillow etc is often wrong.And contrary to others here I see nothing wrong with a healthy down payment on your first property; as you become more confident your views will change.

However, a healthy discussion to ensure that both spouses agree on the course of action never hurts!

Steve, it is a very healthy question and it shows you are thinking critically.