So I bought a single family home for 315k that was considered inhabitable.

* Is this a single-family property or a duplex?

Investment Info:Small multi-family (2-4 units) buy & hold investment.

I’ve seen countless stories of families choosing between groceries and rent, or parents juggling eviction notices while trying to shield their children from the stress.

not everyone's family situation or commute or lifestyle permits it, but it's a great way to get started.it's also just objectively tougher to find good deals now than it used to be. 

That might be one suggestion to get your feet wet - invest with a family member who has more experience.

Unless you're working with Private Money that is going to carry the risk of your lack of experience, banks want to see experience, Net Worth and liquidity after close to consider the terms.I started with single family, four plexes, and remodel flips for a lot of years before getting into larger deals. 

I feel a loss of direction and that makes it really hard for me to focus and build.Do we keep at building a portfolio of small multi family (very abundant in my market, very rare to find anything above a triplex for sale), with plans of selling the portfolio and 1031'ing into larger properties? 

Especially on small multi family buildings since most of them are in more urban areas. 

I have 8 single family rentals in 2 single member/pass through entity LLC's. 2 states.