The help I have provided with a few home remodels has consisted of kitchen and bathroom layouts, flow and functionality, fixtures and finishes of the home, all while trying to stay within budget.  

Stay focused on your goals, and best of luck on your journey in real estate!

My main concern about actual house hacking for a few years in a row is that we don't want the kiddos to have to change schools once we relocate up there.I'm thinking about getting an appreciation-oriented duplex/triplex in a pricier market with good schools that we could stay in for several years, and saving for an actual cashflow property that'd we buy as an investment property instead of a house hack.

UPDATE:Yes, we are moving forward and the numbers on the purchase price, and terms of the deal, stay relatively the same (in the big picture).We opted to pay the agent out of our pockets.

I don’t believe a tenant can stay forever, and I can cover the extra payments and lawyer fees for up to two years for the tenant who will be harder to remove.

This would clearly exclude a ridiculous term which is not included in other conventional doctor loans by default, especially given the understanding that we were investing in real estate and doing rental investing, not just buying a temporary place to stay.  

Basically you stay working there and rollover funds into another qualified plan.   

., if I’m dealing with someone in, say, Chicago or Austin, I know precisely which local operators are closing quickly and which boutique lenders are staying nimble.

Stay away. 

If you do have an entity, treat is like your ex - stay as far away from it personally, do not mix funds and operate it at arms length.