However, if I had started off with a house hack, I could have lower my monthly mortgage tremendously which would have helped me build up my savings at a much quicker pace than I had.

What steps would you recommend to minimize damages and resolve this issue efficiently?

The plumber will likely have to cut open the ceiling to confirm and make repairs, so you can save a little money by learning how to do that yourself, confirm the problem, and then call the plumber for repair, then patch the ceiling yourself.As Jonathan is trying to point out, it's important to expect these things and have funds on hand to deal with them.

Eliminate debt, establish a budget, and save.

Eliminate debt, establish a budget, and save.

Keep in mind refinancing costs typically range from 2%-5% of the loan amount, so weigh the upfront costs against the long-term savings to see what works best for your goals.Good luck!

A simple baseline plan might’ve steered him toward properties with more reliable maintenace histories or a stronger neighborhood profile, saving him a lot of sweat.

While state specific leases are simple and can work, spending the extra investment and having a real estate attorney help create one for you will likely create more value/protections and save you money in the long run

As for hard money, it’s great for scaling quickly, but if you have the cash, using it can definitely save on interest and fees, boosting your profit.

You have just saved 15 or 30 minutes or whatever time you would have put into analyzing it.