Should I buy an investment property before my first home?

[Andre Vasquez]

Hello everyone!, Im new to bigger pockets with aspirations to get into the real estate investing world.
Like the title states; im a first time home buyer and real estate investor that will be in the market for a new home within the next 6months. I have no idea how to go about getting started however, I have a wife that wants our first home to be our only home, but I know that will make it harder for me to buy more properties in the future since the house wont be cash flowing. 
I'm looking for advice on how I can get started in real estate investing while still being able to own my own home, with options to get more properties. 
Any advice or ideas would be lovely!

[Patrick Allen]

Quote from @Andre Vasquez:

She just wants to have her dream home first, which is understandable. 

I will *politely* push back on this one: it is not reasonable nor usually feasible to buy one's Dream Home as their first purchase. As a millennial myself, I think our entire generation needs to get out of the mindset that we deserve a home as nice or better as the home we grew up in: usually a median-priced move-up home our parent's bought 10-20 years into their working careers.

Between being a poor tenant and owning one's dream home includes the Starter Home, a number of move-up purchases over several decades of raising a family, and THEN you get to buy your dream home with the equity and cash flow you've accumulated owning assets & working to generate active income at your job or business you own.

Doing a house hack on a MF property is a fantastic starter home move, probably the mathematically best option, but the least comfortable. You could also do a live-in flip: buy a fixer upper with a low down payment & do much of the work yourself, then sell after 2 years in such as way that is tax-advantaged.
It also counts to buy a more traditional SFR which would work as a rental and makes the wife happy for now... Live in it for 12 months, then you buy your next starter home/future rental with another FHA loan in 2023. Now your 2022 purchase becomes your first true rental, already underwritten to make sense as a buy & hold.

Or just buy the home your wife likes for now and help introduce her to the community in other ways... better luck next year!