Definitely go for house hack. 

We also take our draws/income in a different proportion that what each of our Basis' are.One things that I have often wondered when people are thinking of doing the S-Corp thing to 'save on FICA' - I get that, in general.

Definitely happy to connect, perhaps add you on whatsapp if that's ok. 

this is my first ever mortgage and I've never had to pay rent so this is definitely going to be an adjustment for me, but I've been wanting to do this for the last 4-5 years now and i figured the best way to get into it is to jump right in!

REITs like Realty Income can definitely be a great hands-off option for steady income without the headaches of property management.That said, owning physical real estate has unique benefits like leverage, tax advantages, and control over your asset.

Also wondering if there are any Real Estate Meetups out that way?

Definitely an option in PA, FL you may be limited to 75%.

In the broker world, there are definitely options for both.

I would definitely encourage to utilize all the resources that Bigger Pockets has to offer. 

I wondering about cashing in a small percentage of my stock portfolio to fund my next RE deal.