To answer your title directly, house hacking is entirely worth it and if you're willing to be a landlord it's 100% the best springboard to financial independence.

I think it puts the increase into perspective and I get no pushback or arguments from my tenants.

This is where you can significantly increase the value of the property by making improvements that attract quality tenants and justify a higher rental price.

@Bryan HartlenManaging low-end properties can be demanding due to higher tenant turnover, increased maintenance needs, and frequent rent collection issues.

A furnished mid-term rental or month to month lease can be well worth the small incremental monthly cost for this flexibility if you are serious about finding a great live in flip candidate on your timeline, not that of your employer's. 

if you want to see what is worth doing and what is not, look at what the successful investors or syndicators are doing.  

If you are worth “something” then you need the umbrella policy.

One day a trend not make, but yesterday I have a listing that had a shockingly high number of showings, like 10 days worth of showings, and I also showed a buyer client a property that has been on market for 30 days and now has 3 offers on it.

Is getting a $500 above ground pool worth it? 

When getting new tenants I've found the increase to be much more.