How to decide my strategy (SFH vs commercial)

[Lucas Hammer]

So I'm house-hacking a 2-flat in Chicago and I'm trying to decide where to go from here. Commercial (large apartments) are my end-goal, but I don't really have the cash for a down payment on a commercial loan right now. What I do have is the cash to put one or two down payments on SFHs in Tulsa, OK, which is my hometown and start cashflowing there. I feel like getting more units should be the fastest way to expand, but am I better off buying a bunch of SFHs and working my way into apartments or should I save and wait? I guess my main concern is the rising interest rates we'll be seeing soon if things keep going the way they are, so I'm wondering about locking down a couple more cashflowing properties.

I know it depends on individual goals, but I guess I'm wondering what you guys would do if in the same position. I keep convincing myself to go the other way every time I think I'm close to deciding and don't want to get stuck in "analysis paralysis."