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I found myself, trying to sell deals, not standing firm on the numbers.

Plus the bar tends to be much lower, so it is much easier to stand out.

For example, instead of an initial 6-month lease at $1,200/month, and then re-renting it in the summer with a higher rental rate, you could market it as a 16-18 month lease term (again, great suggestion by Tim) at $1,600/month with a "1 Month of Free Rent" special which you could either divide evenly across just the first 4-6 months of the lease, or prorate over the entirety of their lease term.  

neighbors fought us because it was a Timber stand ..

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The only way to answer that in general (whether house hacking in today's market is still a good option) or for a particular property, is to learn how to run the numbers and analyze a specific property to see whether it will be able to stand on its own as an investment when you move out someday.There are a lot of resources here on BP for doing that but I'd just say, make sure the assumptions you're putting into your spreadsheet or deal analyzer are realistic.Make sure the rents (especially for vacant units or pro-forma #s) are realistic by doing your own rent comps; make sure the mortgage rate is realistic by doing some research online and/or talking to some mortgage folks; make sure insurance #s are realistic by getting a couple of quotes for the # of units and zip code / area you're looking in; etc.I hope that helps, and good luck 😊

Newer appliances, free nice laundry, 2nd floor, yard space, storage, clean bathroom, included heat, installed window A/C.Appraisal suggested the unit was worth 2,300 a month, which I felt was a bit high, so I listed it for $2,150 with no move in fee and a 2k deposit.

Any suggestions for local experts in jersey city? 

Here are a few suggestions on how you can maximize the wealth of information available: Check out the blogs and podcasts, or take advantage of the search feature (magnifying glass).