Im looking at house hacks in Raleigh or Greensboro.

The vast majority of your wealth gain in real estate will be by holding properties long term and the appreciation/principal paydown will slowly but surely help you become wealthy.For 90% plus of people out there who are looking to start, house hacking is the best way to go.

When we moved, we turned it into a rental, hoping this would be the start of our real estate journey—something we’d like to continue once my husband retires.Some key details:My husband is active duty and will retire in 3 years.We have one final move coming up this summer to Raleigh, NC.Our current debts are crippling us—the high interest makes it tough to stay afloat every month.The plan me and my husband are thinking bout:Sell the rental property.Use the proceeds to pay off all our debts, set aside emergency funds and a down payment for our next home.Free up $1,500/month from debt payments, and that also can stash in a high-yield savings account.Regain full VA loan entitlement, allowing us to purchase a multifamily home and use the house hacking strategy for up coming move.Avoid capital gains tax, since April marks five years of ownership, and the tenant’s lease ends in May.This wasn’t our original plan, and we hate the idea of using our equity to pay off debt.

Given your mobility for duty posts you can really ramp up your real estate portfolio while serving.Every time they got stationed somewhere they would purchase a property to live in using their VA and house hack.

I feel like these are my only options:- House Hack: Would I still need to pay the 6% tax rate if I'm getting rental property insurance?

Look for off-market deals, seller financing opportunities, or even house hacking a small multi-family with an FHA loan (3.5% down) if you plan to live in one unit.For creative financing, explore seller financing, subject-to deals, and lease options.

Any marketing hacks that work well?

How did you only put 7% down but not house hack?

If numbers work and risks are manageable, this could be a solid house hack!

Save for a house hack in the meantime.