Spouses living separately and house hacking finance options?

[Michael B.]

Hello BP Community!

Longtime follower, first time poster, but have an interesting question/situation I’m potentially looking to pursue.

Current situation:

My wife and I have our primary residence in NW Wisconsin (both names on the loan) that is still in FHA only for a short while longer.

I work as a regional sales manager, with my territory covering the entire state of WI. My office that I report out of, is located in Illinois, not too far from the WI/IL border. Most of my customers and prospects are between the Madison and Milwaukee, WI surrounding areas (southeastern Wisconsin, 4-5 hours drive from current primary residence) in addition to the Illinois office I frequent on occasion. I currently spend anywhere from 2-3 nights a week on the road in hotels in this area.

The question is:

Can I start my real estate investing career by house hacking a new duplex as my primary residence, using a 5% down conventional loan, in the area I work (let’s say Madison, WI)? I would live here the required amount needed to maintain full time residency and rent out the additional unit.

Looking for financing input/thoughts to make this happen! Thanks!