This strategy balances tax efficiency with proper estate planning.

In order to do this you need to have deal flow and you need to know 1) How to recognize a good, profitable deal, 2) How to put together funds quickly to buy the deal before someone else does and in such a way where you are protected and the deal is protected, 3) How to run the project so that you follow the budget and don't overspend or overbuild, 4) How to attract an end buyer or a renter and which documents to use to protect yourself and the buyer, 5) If you are going to keep the property then you need to know how to set up the property from the start to best help you in the refinance later, and 6) You need to know how you are planning on managing the property from the beginning in order to make sure it will be profitable at the end.

I would like to start close to home as I plan to self manage the rental side of it.

Suggest you get your game plan in place first then go forward once you have the goal in sight.

I still have a way to go before I am at a point where I can invest, but my plan is to sort that out within a year or so.

We just love the country and plan to visit often and figured why not expand our business into Japan.

I have some upcoming repairs needed that outweigh the Homestead Exemption and plan to make my primary home a long term rental in the next 7 years but the repairs can’t wait.  

Quote from @Patrick McCann: Hi Justin, I'm also a househacker in NH currently living in my duplex in Dover, NH with plans to search for my next one in the near future.

The plan was to pay cash, refi out and use that to improve the property. 

But if you lay out your plan to the owner over the phone, it's very hard to get a "yes" because trust is developed with a face to face meeting.Trust can be established by talking about your past record (as an investor) but also if you have something positive about yourself (profession - real estate agent, nurse, teacher, fireman, doctor - any profession that can give you some added credentials).#4 Owner vs.