5 strangers all living in a home that have to somehow get along. 

Live under your means and start thinking about investing in Real Estate.In your position the thought of finding a duplex to house hack, live in one side and rent the other. 

You should vet the company to ensure they have the resources to pay the rent.You ALWAYS do background checks on the people living in your property because if you let in an axe murderer and they harm someone, you are likely to get sued.Whether or not you charge an application fee is up to you.  

@Mason Edwards I live and invest in Knoxville.

My ultimate goal is to live in it until I can buy a second property and then backfill my first property with a tenant.

I'm not bullish where I live, Portland, OR (high prop taxes, tougher landlord laws, affordability, etc.). 

While we currently live in Stephens City, VA, we’re open to investing in other states where the numbers make sense.Real Estate Goals & StrategyInvestment Focus: Buy-and-hold rentals, short-term rentals, and potential multifamily propertiesMarkets of Interest: Open to investing outside of Virginia in cash-flowing, landlord-friendly marketsCurrent Stage: Learning, networking, and preparing for our first investment propertyLong-Term Vision: Build a diversified rental portfolio that provides financial freedom and generational wealthWhy I’m HereNetworking: Connecting with experienced investors, agents, lenders, and property managersLearning: Gaining insights from those who’ve built successful portfoliosCollaborating: Open to partnerships, joint ventures, and creative financing strategiesWith my sales background, I understand the importance of negotiation, deal-making, and relationship-building—all of which I plan to leverage in real estate.

We would be incurring the tenants in one half and would live in the other half ourselves.

As for the areas to target, my goal in getting our feet wet as real estate investors--and since we plan to be living in Sac--is to find a property we can live in while renting out one or more units to help cover our housing expenses, which we can then hold and continue to rent out when we move.

He lives across the street from 2 of my properties in FL.