My parents have been through many problems in the past several years - from a kidney transplant, to heart attack, and more, my folks have always paid their rent on time, but their other bills have suffered.  

My other (less ambitious/exciting) option is to purchase a duplex and rent out one half of it to essentially live rent free, which would allow me to save a lot of my cash, and perhaps acquire a second one after a year.

Just about every deal works out if you don't have vacancies or even just tenant turnover costs.Vacancy aside, if you cash flow $400 a month and live rent free that's a good house hack start.

Not only that, they  also destroy the property of the helpless landlord, and live rent-free for months (or years)!!

@Makala Lee-Norwood ok thats what's us yeah a four plex would be ideal live rent free and have income coming in you can keep an eye on your investment without the tenants knowing your the owner.

I have been looking for the holy grail the only way this makes sense for me is by house hacking in something that cashflow at worst case scenario i am just looking to at  live rent free. 

The tenant has been able to live rent free for months and if a sale happens, they won't be able to take advantage of the current owner any longer.

. :)As for South SF getting more tech transplants, that is interesting.

i have the same problem i signed one and I'm not a land lord by choice i signed that thinking i can go in with a key they never brought to closing i had to pick up the key at the seller realtors the seller daughter still in the house not the seller i have not even been in the house I'm to old I'm 65 and on ssi  to let people live rent free the whole ordeal  is so draining  and they never got renters insurance i text there realtor for there insurance he send me home owners I have home owners insurance i said they need renters insurance i told him I don't want to be liable for them he never sent it i ask can I come in to make sure everything is good seller daughter said everything is fine  and shes to busy to let me come with running to the hospital and seeing her mom and packing 60 days on my dime no rent cause i was supposed to move in that house there are leeks in the house that she cant see i would of like to get those leeks fixed my inspector told me about the leeks can i get them out for not having rental insurance and not allowing me to fix the leeks.

Everyone was overleveraged when the bottom dropped out (a lot of Bay Area transplants in the mid/late 2000's) so the foreclosures are pretty close, if not over, market value.