Right now between my house and ADU, we split the water based on the square footage. 

Quote from @Carl Rowles: Aside from the stigma of them, it seems like they’d be a decent entry point for new home owners, given the housing market the way it is.  

But usually for a tenant occupied it's like $90-120 per monthI've noticed a lot of multi-family buildings are pre-WWII housing inventory - are there restrictions or issues common with that (historic districts, crazy high utility costs, etc)?

As a beginner, you can learn a lot from your uncle with a few rentals in another state or a co-worker who's on their second house hack.

Acquired a double lot for $112k after resolving title issues and paid $360k for construction, creating a 6-bed, 5-bath house designed for co-living or multi-gen use.

List the property on MLS or with a trusted real estate agent, and market aggressively through social media, local advertising, and open houses to generate interest.

So my question is: should I wait until my lease is over and then buy a multi family that I can house hack or should I buy a smaller investment property in another town now and then get a heloc when my lease is over for a house I can live in?

I am guessing there is either a preferred or in house lender with large amounts of credit to get to this? 

If you didn't do any testing, you are definitely going to have an issue if the house was covered in mold.

I am a fellow house hacker and think it's the best way to get into the game if your circumstances allow it!