On the other hand, if you “just” break even for 30 years on your previous primary home with 5% down.

.• Primary residence: A 2-bed, 2.5-bath townhouse purchased in 2020 with a 2.75% interest rate.

You could also get a couple different agents in the area to get you good comps on what to sell it for and compare on what they say the out price can be. 

I then ran a different ad and the cost was only 6 cents per contact. 3 cents higher than FB lowest estimate.

If you are planning on living there (ie in 1 unit) then you are house-hacking and this is a different calculation consideration then renting out both units and making it a true investment.

You may have different questions or your situation is different. 

Is there a different avenue I should take to owning my first house?

There is no harm in reaching out for a slight difference in budget you can just say that you got there contact on FF and have an available unit slightly above their price range and tell them the price and let them know to get back to you if they are interested.

They are very different experiences and some like one but not another. 3.

Here you go: https://dicksonlawgroup.com/practice-areas/landlord-tenant-d...The biggest difference between eviction attorneys is pricing.