@Christopher Reynolds My mantra has always been, "Live where you want to live; invest where it makes sense."

I'd recommend house-hacking a duplex or triplex if possible to help limit your living expenses.

Are you planning to rent it out or live in it?

On your own, you simply can not buy in the place where you want to live. 

I was born in Allentown hospital many years ago, but now living near and investing in Northeast Philadelphia.

So far, we have shortlisted Columbus, Orlando, Indiana, Vegas and Rochester.we live in Toronto and we really would like to connect with people like us who already started their journey to know about their experiences and insights of investing in the US! 

@Jenna ChenHouse hacking a value-add duplex in Atlanta is a smart strategy to build equity while keeping living costs low.

Live in one side for a year to meet your residence requirement for the loan.3.

Strategy 1: buy a duplex, live in one unit (for one year as a "primary residence) and rent out another unit as a short-term / mid-term rental on Airbnb.

I've been living in my current house hack for ~1.5, and I placed my tenants in September 2023 (lease is up at the end of August).