Ideal if you're short on cash upfront, but be prepared for higher monthly payments.Conventional Loan: @Chris Seveney and I agree conventional is your better option.  

If these are even an average sized breed they can eat through a lot of food in a day/week/month.So the first thing is to get yourself financially stable.

This will allow you separate business income and expenses from personal income and expenses.Since you plan to house hack your bookkeeping and tax return preparation will be more complicated because a percentage of your home expenses will be personal deductions and some will be business deductions.

Learn the ins and outs of fit and finish, proper preparation, proper installation, rough in locations & MEP details... thinking 10 steps ahead on everything.

Any way food for thought, good luck with whatever you decide to do!

I would be prepared to file for eviction etc. if they are 1 day late on payment, but would not actively be working to get them out if there is not a blatant current violation of the lease agreement. 

If I was the landlord here are the questions I would be asking - providing these so you could be prepared if they come up:1.

@Tina Artigliere@Alicia ProkosFor these Quest Solo 401k plan account holders, what is essential is to find a new Solo 401k plan provider who offers a Solo 401k plan with the service and features that the account holder needs such as Solo 401k loans, alternative investments, Roth and Mega Backdoor Roth Solo 401k contributions, 5500-EZ & 1099-R preparation and filing, etc.The process entails restating the Quest Solo 401k plan where the Quest Solo 401k plan documents are replaced with the Solo 401k plan documents of the new Solo 401k provider. 

As long as you're prepared to be a landlord and live next to your tenant for at least a year, house hacking is a great way to get started.

I would like to think in a way that investment in general, and the real estate investment, start with a solid economic reason - "Why do you Invest, where you invested".To elaborate on below - Vegas is a great example where no real economic driver exists and when you invest there, you should be aware that is a highly volatile market (side note: i both 2 properties there in 2011 and 2012 and i sold both this year) and you should pay an extra attention and be prepare to reposition capital.It's clear, if you invest in Vegas or Orlando (just 2x entertainment cities) you will expect ups and downs and you need to position yourself with extra reserves and extra caution if you are planning to stay in these market for long term.