I am in Plano, in DFW area in Texas, moved from San Francisco in 2013 and I am looking to get into REI as a part time business and growth it so I can do it full time. 

The areas of York and Lancaster are also great.Central PA is a nice stable market, with great diversity of employment, a few hours drive from NYC, Philly, and DC.You have to be a little bit careful in down town Harrisburg, but the suburbs and whole capital market is great from a cash flow and growth perspective.

Wholesaling, when done right, has you go through all of the tasks that an Investor will go through yet with the risk of usually no cash...it's a great learning experience. 

I don't know how the market for rentals is in the tri-cities, but here it's crazy from under-building and population growth.

The Human in us desires a Coach, Teacher, Mentor, Partner or Instructor to validate the information being received within the material, to be able to then bounce the information off of others with related knowledge (BP can assist with this aspect for sure) and finally to be held accountable to turn that information into action which should result in positive growth (and even higher income/profits as related to a career or business venture).Now I know, everyone can see or not see value in investing money to obtain a foundation or even an advanced knowledge taught by practicing professional instructors in the area related to the information sought, but why don't we complain about those same investments into an Accredited College for a paper degree which is suppose to have you prepared for the "Real World" experiences that come afterwards and sometimes fall short?

I've seen some good growth here and good cash flow.

Until then, look to alternative financing deals, build your portfolio increasing your income, showing growth will certainly help.

I look at the areas growth potential (preserve my investment) and the supply versus demand for rentals.

Some C areas of Chicago are still below 50% of the peak and, I would bet have much more room for equity growth, in addition to immediate high cash flow.If you are determined to house hack in order to qualify for owner-occupancy benefits, and I don't know the exact rules, but you may only have to "intend" to occupy for 1 year which is not that long, especially if you are focused on the rehab.  2 months in, your initial bona fide intention can change, and you could move out within the guidelines.  

I'd recommend your first pass is based on ability to find units with rent-to-value ratios that are solid.Step 2: Use jobs and economic growth to narrow down to 2 markets.