Over the years every single time I went over his house to hang out we would talk about money, investing and the future we were building.

I was to purchase a house in NC, but due to some information that was not disclosed about the house, we decided not to buy it.I will be getting my due diligence  money back and asked for money back for inspections but seller refused.  

Personal money How did you add value to the deal?

In 1-2 years you could save enough to purchase a home to house hack.

I had 5 houses with them that were terribly managed (placing bad tenants, extremely high rehab costs). 

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

House hacking is an excellent strategy, especially with the potential to use an FHA loan to secure a property with a low down payment. 

Hey Brandon,I had good success by getting equity lines on properties to access the cash to invest again. 20% is certainly not essential if you want to go lower there are many lending options for lower down payments, especially if you are willing to house hack!

Would you suggest subdividing the property, building a single house, or building multiple cottages/ tiny homes?

I have personally worked with @Wale Lawal and he is awesome.