Obviously being young I do not have a huge nest egg saved up for 20% down-payments on multi-unit homes.

I have this plan so far: to set up a solid nest egg/emergency fund covering 3-6 months of my life expenses, then save up my down payment for my first deal - as of right now I was recently considering that FHA loan with only 3.5% down but your idea presented about 25% percent down one time, then pulling it out after a refi is something I want to understand better so I know which option to choose. 

We use Nest.

Even if you get all the grants and assistance in the world, you need to make sure you have a nest egg.

Small things like washer/dryer were not hooked up, there was a bees nest, etc.  

In my case investment real estate is a pretty small % of my nest egg and will likely remain so. 

Until I'm financially free and have a good nest egg to reinvest or have kids, it's not feasible to me to just buy any random house that looks shiny and new.  

But it comes at a cost, and at some point you reach an awkward stage where it's too much work to do on the side, but it doesn't provide enough income to replace your job.If you're willing to do the hard work and sacrifice a few years, you can build up a pretty nice nest egg to do other, truly passive, investing.

I have one cabin with a Nest and I regret buying that thing.

They found a mouse nest and mice droppings in the basement the other month.