@Phillip Austin someone who obviously should not rent but buy themselves a brand new house. what was their previous place?  

Try looking into cities in with stable economies, strong renter populations, and where housing is below the US median value.

In addition, a strong property management company will tackle all aspects of marketing, application, ensuring resident satisfaction, fair housing, handling late payment/evictions, renewals, etc. 

Which options do you guys think are best when you have no money to put down on a house for flipping?

@Jason Sinclair, having a designer for a wife, I would answer that it really depends heavily on each house, the flow and usability of the spaces as they are, and the overall use of space in the house as a whole.That being said, while there may be a small shift towards more separated spaces, "open concept" is by no means dead, and in many markets, most people seem to still want to have connectivity between their communal spaces.In fact, my wife's current flip is a split level (although technically it is a split-foyer), and she is taking out a structural wall to connect the kitchen, dining and living areas.  

My wife and I got a duplex downtown and are house hacking one unit. 

This works best when the seller is motivated and open to flexible terms.4.BRRRR Strategy (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat)– If you find the right undervalued property, you can finance the rehab with short-term funding and then refinance into a long-term loan, pulling most or all of your money back out.5.House Hacking– If you’re open to living in your investment, you can use an FHA loan (as low as 3.5% down)to buy a multi-unit, live in one unit, and rent out the others.

Use the two years to learn the area and I would suggest as soon as you can, find a duplex and start a house hack. 

Follow These Steps BEFORE You Start Flipping Houses in 2024 - it goes over the basics, choosing locations, etc. 

If so, you may be able to wholesale the property to someone (perhaps even someone in one of those $400,000 houses) in such a way that you and your grandmother come out whole.