I have investor friends in LA area offering temporary free housing.

I’m hoping that once I do have enough saved I can buy the second property and continue house hacking.

I also paid interest on the loans.Is the utilities for the house that is completed and rented a expense deduction for the year or does it go into the basis?

The some of the repairs need to be completed before renting out.

With this strategy, we knew exactly how each house was operating and we could intervene or change leadership of the house if necessary to assure operations were going as we expected. 

Account for all costs, including closing fees, holding costs, and repairs.

In addition we do not accept any applications for longer move in than the remainder of the current month and the next month (so if tenant is unable to move in by march 1, they cannot apply until feb 1 as we are unwilling to go longer than that without rent and will hold another open house).S8 needs to streamline their process if they want to increase their housing options.Best wishes

The property manager should be involved before you buy any property to give input on due diligence, how to increase income and reduce expenses, and to make repairs or improvements to maximize occupancy.Excellent property management is critical to your success before, during, and when planning to sell or refinance.To your success!

I have long form articles on both this Fair Housing law with section 8 and the scam tenants with fake info on our website.  

@Jahniya Butlercan you start with a house hack instead?