I considered starting out house hacking a MF, but it will only increase my monthly expenses, not lower them or provide cash flow. 

For non-house hack deals, you'll need anywhere from 20%-30% as a down payment.

As a broker I did everything in house

Quote from @Duane Williams: We’re a family-owned fix-and-flip company operating in San Antonio, TX, and Northern Virginia, managing everything in-house—from wholesale acquisitions to rehab & construction (with our own project managers and crews) to listing & selling through our licensed brokerage.

But very few investors are in the #1 performing sector over the last 1, 3, 5 and 10 year periods, according to the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF): senior housing.  

You can still buy houses in small farm towns in MN for $25k.

There are risks too, when buying condemned and burned-out houses because you may not be able to control the environment where these properties exist.

The same may apply for putting the house into a trust.

I always am amazed when someone selling a $600,000 house brings me a listing agreement where they agreed to pay a stranger $30,000 to list their house for sale and they didn't even read the agreement much less spend the $250 to have a lawyer tell them that yes, if they sell it to their cousin during the listing period they still have to pay the $30k.

The house is set way back at the end of a long winding driveway, the front is fully fenced for maximum privacy.