Lower payment (primary) or investment and higher payments?

[Jesse Valle]

Hello,

I’d like to become a real estate investor and I have approximately 70k to play with. However, I’m debating between 3 main options:

A) Buy a primary residence with a higher down payment and lower my monthly mortgage payment. Then save with the low monthly mortgage payments and buy another property soon.

B) Use an FHA loan with 5% down payment, which will make my monthly mortgage payments significantly bigger, but then use the remaining of the money towards an investment property with a conventional loan (20% down payment)

C) Rent a condo as my primary residence and use the remaining of the money towards investment properties with conventional loans (20% down payment)

What would you guys recommend for someone who wants to retire early but doesn’t want to have a frugal life?