3-4 year investment strategy (Starting out)

[Ben Unger]

Hello BP community,

When buying any real estate property, regarding your own to live in, do you run an analysis the same as if you were going to make it a buy and hold rental? If so what are the basic numbers you would shoot for? (i.e. 10-20% below market value, NOI, Cap Rate..ect)

That is basically my current plan/strategy. I would like to buy my 1st home to live in for 3-4 years where the numbers workout up front based on assessing the purchase as if it would become an immediate rental property. Then after a 3-4 years I would move out of the property, rent it, buy another home and do the same thing. 

All the mean time acquiring other properties during that same 3-4 year time period to build my real estate portfolio. The reason being is we are currently in an apartment plan to move out around September.

My wife and I would house hack or buy a duplex/quad to start out, but we seem to cant find those types of properties in Houston, relative to where we both work. Plus, multifamily homes in Houston,  from what I have seen are either really expensive or in a bad neighborhood and need a lot of work.

Thanks in advance for your answers!