The stone elevation can be expensive but will really move a house quickly with the added curb appeal.Some things I like to add for not much extra cost..

All sec8 rentals are subject to review and approval by the housing authority issuing the vouched.  

They just came out with a BabyBox, even smaller one that circumvents state housing lows and falls in as an RV.

I'm thinking about investing into section 8  housing in STL and I'm new to this game.

Hi Delroy,Congrats on your first house hack—what a great start!

In your case of a fourplex, option 2 should get you a better deal.I would also agree with Bill on how the number of units may not correlate with the value of the property unless it is a large multifamily complex, and sometimes a fourplex or several single family houses would give you better returns. 100% We always recommend conventional first until you can no longer qualify for those. 

I recently found a house in Dallas (listed on Zillow for 120 days) that is 100% owned by the seller, and they're open to seller financing.

Is the property just a regular-style house or something you can build an experience around?  

I believe depreciation on that unit that you were living in starts at that point as well.just bringing this up because it was mentioned in another post where someone was house hacking.

The biggest things for our energy bills are: how many ac units are on the house and do you have a hot tub.