Remember, the secret ingredient, it's you. 

You could go the house hacking route with buying MFU, etc.It MIGHT be interesting if you are a traveling nurse to turn your house hack into a short term or mid term rental while you are gone.

I agree with many of @Alan Asriants' points, especially when considering OOS Sec. 8 investing.A lower price point or smaller investment doesn't always mean low risk.House-hacking locally could be a better transition depending on your goals and situation.

I have 2 SFH, both purchased using house hacking.

This works best when the seller is motivated and open to flexible terms.4.BRRRR Strategy (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat)– If you find the right undervalued property, you can finance the rehab with short-term funding and then refinance into a long-term loan, pulling most or all of your money back out.5.House Hacking– If you’re open to living in your investment, you can use an FHA loan (as low as 3.5% down)to buy a multi-unit, live in one unit, and rent out the others.

Purchase price: $250,000 Cash invested: $50,000 Primary house hack.

I first house hacked in Malden when I bought a 2 family.

If you are using an agent, they should be guiding you on this.Aside from that, there's a few things:You mentioned this is a house hack and your first one.

As a broker, you’ve already got a strong foundation, which will give you an edge in finding and structuring great deals.Since you're in Chicago, have you considered house hacking as a starting point?

I'm interested in investing in multi unit properties and potentially get into house hacking.