But honestly, if you live here, you will understand and be more patient with the investing scenario. 

If you’re just starting or want to minimize risk, house hacking is a killer move—grab a duplex, live in one unit, rent the other, and let it pay down your mortgage while you scale up.

I'm planning on buying a small multifamily first and foremost so I have a place to live and then will either buy a single family or another multi family depending on what I can find/fits my criteria at the time.

This not only defers the taxes on the two rental properties but then once they live in the primary residence for at least 2 years that home now qualifies for the Section 121 exclusion on the gain.

I got tired of paying to live in other people’s homes.

If you are doing a live-in flip why not use that equity for a down payment with a refi or HELOC?

I suppose I would not be looking for a primary residence immediately as I won’t live in it while I’m still living overseas.

I sometimes wonder if people just feel lazy dumping their money into an index fund in the stock market and actually using all that free time to go out and live life.

That was short lived!

If we're talking about some Section 8 houses in Cleveland or Detroit, sure, I am with ya, I live it every day, but what we're talking about right now is a different world.