Hello, everyone, I am currently a graduate student in the St. Louis area and am looking to start my real estate investment journey. My current income is sufficient enough to cover my living expenses, live comfortably, and put a portion toward savings each month. The rent for my current apartment, though, is roughly similar to single family homes in the area. So, I was wondering if it would be smarter to use the time I have on this current rental lease to start looking for a small multifamily property to buy and house hack (with an FHA loan).
However, when my program ends in roughly 4 to 5 years, I plan on moving back in with my parents (in the Dallas-Fort Worth area) and saving to buy my own place. Should I spend these next few years connecting with investors in the St. Louis area and gaining experience from them before beginning my own real estate portfolio when I move back home or should I start by house hacking while I am still living in MO? Also, if I were to start while in school, are there any preferred areas in St. Louis and the surrounding cities that I should start looking into? I have done general searches for the surrounding cities before, but I am relatively new to the area (as opposed to me having lived in the DFW area for over 2 decades and having particular areas I plan on investing in).
