If you walked into a bank, your pre-approval would likely never qualify for a house hack duplex.Did they count 75% of the expected rent towards your DTI? 

Having a house in Tulum Mexico, the upkeep in the humid hurricane environment is so financially draining, i wonder if Oklahoma is similar with these apparent high climate risks.

House was built in 2005 (I lived in this house and rented it out when I moved back to California). 

Hello @Fulati,With that budget, I would look for houses in East Memphis, Cordova, or Bartlett.

Check with an architect first to be sure you can fit your vision into the existing lot, as it's zoned currently.

Cash out refi only if the rental income significantly exceeds the monthly payment and you want liquidity to invest elsewhere.2.You can maybe do a HELOC if you want a smaller loan that doesn’t involve refinancing the entire house.3.

Purchase price: $499,990 5 bed 3 bath split level house in Hyattsville, 1875 sq ft

So.. keep buying houses, that will work.

What most people fail to realize is that most of the turnovers at least the ones I’ve seen the house will need some repairs before a new tenant is placed.

House hack is the only option but even that might not be feasible.