hi @Jaycee,  the top floor(the one you see on the listing 8915 E Wes Pl Tucson), is essentially a ground floor as far as entering and exiting the home as the bottom floor(finished basement etc) is underneath it built into the other side of the foothill the house is sitting on.  

You can house hack the other rooms.

I'm looking to purchase my first property with my fiancé (both 25) with the goal being to establish our primary residence together, as well as giving me the opportunity to add equity/value via rehab before moving on and converting the property into a rental within a year or so to kickstart an investment portfolio.An interesting lead that recently came up is my parent's neighbor's house.

They get hail storms there.No cap ex or anticipated cap ex.Rent is slightly lower than market because I have long-term, excellent tenants.The Dallas area is still growing, so selling is probably something I'd regret.Been renting the house since 2011, when I bought it. 

I suspect there's lots of inventory, particularly for new folks coming into the area that find the real estate prices are much better than where they came from.Do you have a type of house you like to target?

If you don't trust your agent enough to tell you not to buy a house, then get a new agent!

Fico while they will look these are not credit score driven loans like those buying rental houses or houses to live in...

We are not familiar with any of these markets, nor do we have anyone trustworthy there, or a real estate agent.Our approach would be both rental and house flipping.

Particularly looking for an investor friendly agent able to take on house hacking clients in NYC and LI

This creates a market for both short-term and long-term rental properties.Affordable housing, Compared to cities like New York, Washington D.C., or Boston, Philadelphia offers relatively affordable rent, or section 8 tenants, especially those who are relocating from more expensive areas.