If you want to chat sometime I am local. 

You're likely better off attending your local REI meet-up to see if you can find an investor who has house-hacked or is currently house-hacking their primary home.

I always research the local market, compare properties, estimate expenses, and build a reserve fund.

Personally, I’ve been looking for ways to align creativity with the numbers, whether that’s finding undervalued properties, building relationships with local agents, or pivoting to new strategies.

I'd make connections with realtors, join local meet ups and expand your horizon.

Staying local and house hacking—especially now, before kids—gives you so much flexibility to set yourselves up for long-term success.Your financial foundation is super strong, and house hacking a quad sounds like an amazing first step for you two.

Detroit is very much a block-by-block city, so having local knowledge is absolutely critical.

We paid back the 401K loan in 8 months and best yet paid all the interest back to myself vs. the bank.Aug 2023 - I went to my local bank and got approved for a HELOC on my primary residence. 

In my opinion, the best "first step" is to find a local REIA to attend. 

In Pittsburgh, where I live and operate, this would be a two to three-month process in front of almost all out local district magistrates.