Long Time Reader, First Time Poster

[Kyle Regitz]

Hi! My name is Kyle Regitz, I am 22 years old. I graduated a year ago from Texas A&M University, and took a job in the Oil and Gas Industry. I got married at the end of May, so as you can see I don't like to waste any time :). I enjoy the work that I do, but not enough to do it until I'm 55/65/75 whatever the retirement age will be when I get there. And while the benefits are generous, who knows if any of those options will be around when I hit the age. Moreover, I want to have the freedom to spend a bunch of time with my kids (when we have them), be invested in their daily lives and take them on fun vacations. 

I have been reading on here for a while and watching podcasts, and I know where I'd like to start. Like many people on here, I want to begin by house hacking. I'm getting moved back to Houston from Baton Rouge next summer and I've started to think about our housing situation. However, it might only be 18 months because there's a chance I get sent overseas. So, what does the BP community suggest? I'm tired of flushing rent money down the drain every month, but 18 months probably wouldn't be long enough to cover closing costs, unless I'm able to force a heck of a lot of equity. And with my 22K in student loans, I'm not sure how likely I'd be to get approved for a loan? I like the idea of a lease option, so I wouldn't be losing everything.

These are the options I've thought of (If I've missed one, please throw it out there!) I'm curious to see what y'all suggest/what y'all would do if you were in my situation?

Rent a SFR (with or without an option)

House hack a du/tri-plex

Buy SFR for 18 month live in flip/ turn into rental

Thank you in advance, and I look forward to taking an active role on this site!

-Kyle