Should my first home be a house hack?

[Janika Bates]

My apartment lease ends at the end of September 2018 and I want to begin thinking like an investor. I keep hearing that the best thing to do is house hack. My credit is good but I don’t have enough saved to purchase a home yet. Should I continue to live in apartments until I can afford the down payment on my own or should I take out a loan for the 20% down payment and begin house-hacking? If you were 23 living in a big city and your lease ends in 6 months, what would be your next move in terms of where you would live?