It was inspected as a duplex, and I'd bet it'll be appraised as a duplex as well (basically removing the oven gives the appraiser plausible deniability), which could create value issues and impact your DTI if you need to use rental income to qualify. 

I bet they are pounding on this guy hard to. 

Lower down payments (was once 30% down) and more flexibility from the lenders. 3) Competition from private equity and others.

The Realtor have more personal responsibility and more flexibility, and that is a big reason so many are draw to the business.  

For investors, this may present an opportunity to work with more flexible and cost-effective agents, reducing overall acquisition costs for rental properties or flips.

I'm in the union on long island so I have a decent W2 job to help get started, I think a house hack would be my best bet starting out but, what do you guys think?

It could give you more flexibility in financing your next investment.

Research your local market trends before starting, and have a plan B (like renting out the property) if the market shifts unexpectedly.For anyone new to this, patience and flexibility are crucial.

Respectfully,Zach The best bet is likely to create a new LLC that lays things out in a straightforward but legally strong and standard operating agreement, etc. - LLC doc sets are fairly cheap and easy to create these days (with limited assistance from lawyers) and its much much better to have that cover bases on arrangements like this - it will also fit nicely with financing options - whether you take on debt from a lender in a co-equity situation like your first plan (refinance loan to LLC post rehab?)

Can be structured in a way that you retain maximum flexibility in ability to refinance, sell notes, or utilize as colterol for future endeavors etc etc..