These loans are structured a bit differently than conventional loans; the borrower pays the origination to the loan officer instead of the lender paying them, so it’s an up front fee.

Toss some mixture in the canister for guests to have choices!

I will go so far to say that the sub-metering was the WRONG choice for us, given the cost, and given that if push came to shove, it would not hold up under scrutiny - by tenants, in a court of law - and therefore by extension, us.

But things happen.. for instance 2 years ago I had 3 of my borrowers die on me.

We manage our own, but there's not a lot of great choices of PMs in the area (which is why I decided to manage myself). 

Sure if you dont have your own 3-5% down payment then yes use DPA if you really want to buy.After going over the pros and cons typically our FTHB'ers or first time home buyers end up getting a gift or bring in their own 1-2% down + 1-3% gift and end up with 3-5% down payment and borrow at regular FHA/conventional rates (avoid the DPA program rates).This is actual experience.

A duplex or triplex is a solid choice for house hacking, and this community has tons of resources to help you learn how to find and analyze deals.

In the future you can always look at borrowing agains the equity to fund future RE investments. 

There are a bunch of good choices IMHO.We don't have leather but all our surfaces are super durable because they are higher end sofas and chairs.The 3 main couches are a pair of Basset and a La-Z-Boy.

The choice depends on their priorities simplicity now or long-term tax advantages.