@Trevor McCormick I would say that it is an okay market but is very saturated and alot of investors are having a tough time right now.

Do that enough times and you'll eventually find a deal you can afford.

I have been very interested in house hacking for some time but it is hard to make the numbers work.

Here's a list of things to track:- Formal lease application- Formal signed and executed lease specific to your state- Payment history (I recommend using online rent collection like Apartments.com, RentRedi, etc)- Maintenance requests and receipts- Accounting for all rental-related expenses (repairs, utilities, etc) The more you treat it like a business, the more helpful you are to your CPA come tax time. 

Good news was that I was in a refi at the time.

My clents might have used this stratgy hundreds of times!! 

While some reductions might increase short-term costs for investors, a more balanced budget could stabilize inflation and interest rates over time.

At that time I will get the house cleaned up and list it on the market and when it sells I've agreed to get reimbursed my costs for reinstatement plus any other costs plus a fee for my efforts.

In some jurisdictions, you are liable for 3 times the value of the property if you lose.

If you’re open to exploring nearby markets, like northwest Georgia or north-central Alabama, you may have an easier time finding properties within your buy box.