I feel like it can be costly on utilities but the tenants are responsible for water and electricity anyways.

We feel this will give us more freedom and consistency financially. 

If you want to try lending and do some buy&hold, then 1) find an experienced HML/Agency and lend through them a few times (they should be able to get you a decent return even after fees) & 2) leverage an experienced syndicator and join their deal as a passive investor - you can always learn about syndication through this "back" door if you will, while making some passive income and enjoying tax benefits of buy&hold investing.If you'd like to speak about it further feel free to PM me.Good luck!

If you have any questions feel free to reach out or send me an email.

Best of luck, and feel free to reach out if you have more questions!

b) I was initially thinking short-term rental, which is where that surge of requests came from but it feels like a lot of work as I would be doing the turns/cleaning for most part so what are the pros-cons of mid-term? 

I am based in Texas and I understand that there is a lot of affordable duplexes in Westmoreland County for a low as $90,000 on Zillow.If you are looking to House Hack like @Madison Stoner  I recommend you interview some local Investor Minded Real Estate Agent and hire the one you feel most comfortable with.

It's sad because because I feel people pay for their mistakes but can be held accountable for life even after living a normal life for more than 15 years. 

Ice noticed that Co-living works best when tenants feel respected and connected, which helps with tenant retention and word-of-mouth referrals.

@Andre Jones Hey, feel free to DM me I'll share a few references,