Hiring out would decimate my cash flow on a long term rental and I don’t have the time to run a hospitality business.

The comps are now a little lower.

You couldn't wash more than a handful of things at a time and never dry enough.  

If you have a "professional" tenant on your hands, they'll see that from a mile away and know they can take you for a ride. 

To offset costs, I’m planning to buy a duplex and pursue a house-hacking strategy:1.Rent out one unit as a long-term rental.2.Live in the other unit and rent out the bedrooms as short-term rentals (STRs) through a furnished rental approach.Before diving in, I have a couple of questions:1.Can I use a property for both short-term and long-term rentals?

Shoot me a DM. 

Can I even invest in a syndication with my relatively low income as a teacher/coach. 

It needs a lot of work done to it.

I am buying a property and need a contract drawn up

If not, then you can invest in a Reg A+ or Reg CF offering or a Reg D 506b if you have a pre-existing relationship with that person.That is where I would start is determing what you can invest in.