Also, that having a proven, easy-to-follow step by step process will speed your learning curve dramatically.

Check out free education from Scott Carson, or note school by Eddie Speed.

I've decided to take the plunge and invest in real estate, and want to do so by house hacking with a duplex.I want to purchase sometime between summer and winter of this year (I hear that the holidays are the best time to purchase), and plan going to get a few mortgage preapproval / loan amount quotes.I've got a few questions that I would love to have some light shed on:1) What are some things that I can ask / look for in order to determine some intangible things about the lending institution such as:a) Willingness to work with me in order to get my loan approved (i.e. if I'm not going to get accepted for a loan, I'd like the person to at least think if there is a way for me to get accepted)b) Closing speed (i.e. how fast can the lending institution close a deal?)

And, yes, insurance appears on IRS Form Schedule E:I, of course, and not a tax professional, and am not up to speed about what might be unique to your particular situation that prevents being able to write these things off.But you might want to consider hiring a better tax guy, if you're being told that you "can't ever" write off property taxes!

Speed gentleman) I wont even try until I have invested on one of the in-depth courses to actually understand what's what.

@Janette Richan if you are a motivated self starter I would suggest going with 100% broker and have control of where your training dollars go.If you want something more structured a team might be for you.I see no advantage in being with a big brand with "name recognition" if they are not feeding you leads.

Big banks tend to be ubiquitous at being horrible at speed and reliability. 

I am a fan of multiple doors and the speed of obtaining them through leverage. 

For what little my 2 cents counts, I don't bother with credit checks, but each his own.I do my own due diligence, I pull court records - did they pay their speeding ticket, how much child support is required per month (Are there arrears?)

How will the owners feel about being partners with their tenants, who then might demand more rights/recognition than tenants might otherwise be entitled?