Advice/Suggestions On Starting Buy & Hold

[Ty McAllister]

I am located in Fort Worth, TX & my end goal as a real estate investor is to have a 100 door rental portfolio consisting of small 8-20 unit apartment complexes. My plan is to build up a rental portfolio, starting with 2-4 unit properties, & eventually sell those to leverage for larger properties. I will be working a job, so I plan on reinvesting everything back into acquiring more properties. My question might come across as vague, but that is because I have been spinning my wheels & am not sure what direction to go. I currently have only 15k, just got married, & need a place to live. Rent would be around $1,000 where we’re looking. It’s looking like I will be able to afford 150-160k in a home & duplexes, for the most part, seem to be just outside of our price range. Mortgage would likely be ~$1,150. Is there a step or path you would suggest that could align our investment goals with our living situation? I know about house-hacking, I guess it’s just a matter of weighing whether we should just get an apartment & save for a duplex, or go ahead & purchase a home & begin building equity in that, & then start buying investment properties after we’ve established our own home. Is there a logical path that you see? Any advice or thoughts are welcome! (Side note, my income has been kind of crazy & all over the place, so seeking pre-approval for loans has been a pain. I will begin working full-time as real estate agent in 2019, so I don’t foresee lending getting any easier down the road)