Even if you start to invest out of the area you live in. 

My plan is to live on the upper unit and rent a room out to a buddy and turn the lower unit into a midterm rental.

For example how many post do we see that Say I live in LA which is expensive and need to look OOS .. and how many post do we see that says I live in Cleveland and I want to invest in LA. ???

From google: “The Fair Housing Act (FHA) does not apply to certain types of rentals, including: Owner-occupied buildings: If the building has four or fewer units and is owned by the person who lives there Single-family homes: If the owner rents or sells the home without using a real estate agent, and they own no more than three homes Religious organizations: If the property is only available to members of the organization's religion Private clubs: If the property is only available to members of the club Senior housing: If the property is designated for people who are at least 55 years old Even if a property is exempt from the FHA, it must still comply with the law's ban on discriminatory statements, notices, or advertising.

If you are looking in the area where you live, stop by areas under construction and you can ask. 

I suppose I could combine the two ideas and live in a basement while renting out a 2 bedroom home to a traveling agency. 

This is an alternative approach for newly constructed buildings.RESIDUAL ESTIMATION APPROACHThis approach determines the cost of short-lived assets, such as 5 or 7 year property and subtracts them from the total project cost.

My partner and I have been living in Dutchess for a few years, and are moving a bit north for his work, and are excited at the real estate opportunities this also unlocks. 

I lived there for 3 years but relocated to Orlando last year to be closer to family.I think Jacksonville is still good overall, but it’s tough to make rentals pencil right now.

I live in a simple home.