. $40k will not get you a non owner occupied San Diego property unless you find some unlikely alternate financing.

If it's not feasible due to circumstances I suppose I'll have to adjust my situation (find weekend job, move back to NJ with parents, move to a different state with, etc.)All responses are appreciated, and I am absolutely open to chatting on the phone by the way.My view on house hacking is it can be a great tool to buy a house you could not  otherwise afford, but it shouldn’t be a goal in it of itself if that makes sense and that’s not to discourage you from investing just there are alternatives such as the stock market. so I’d start by asking where you want to live, do you want to own a single family home or does it make more sense to rent in a more interesting neighborhood like Arlington, Alexandria, that’s gonna be a personal choice, Will your monthly payment actually be less than renting/how many people do you need to get in the house to afford that?

In terms of maximizing your returns you want to compare the interest to an alternative.

I currently use the two family cars we have to conduct these activities, and I am looking to buy a new vehicle that is more suitable (a truck) for the tasks that I have been doing. 

True, there is tax court if they go against you, but for the most part that's not a realistic alternative.

Or are there other alternatives for tenant screening and marketing while I continue using cozy?

When I had arrived I found out that this guy had one truck, his own personal vehicle that doubled as his work vehicle.. and some personal tools.

.- If interest rates remain high, this is further upward pressure on rents in the near-term, as the alternative to renting - buying a home with a mortgage, is expensive - this should increase demand for rentals. - Rents are also a function of supply - 2024 saw the most new construction of multifamily units in American history (nearly 575,000 estimated 2024 deliveries of new multifamily inventory), and 2025, while not a record setting year, will see deliveries top 500,000 again - a huge supply increase. 

Quote from @Don Miller: The following is not to express any level of happiness or unhappiness with the build:Received change orders totaling $14,970 for 18 additional loads of fill dirt over allotted amount in contract (fill dirt arrived in December 2022), 7 loads of septic sand over allotted amount, and rock excavation at the septic site. make sure to ask for the tickets. if they are putting 6 yards of soil in a single axle truck you are getting ripped off.

Most are traveling professionals needing an alternative to a thousand dollar a week hotels.