In one of my markets I invest in I could buy a house cash for $200,000.

It's reassuring to hear it's not a rare nightmare scenario I'm in. I

What state will your loans be in? I

The only time I'd say it's an okay idea is if either: The area you're investing in is expecting so much appreciation that you will easily profit off that (watch out for mortgage interest though...the appreciation needs to be higher than what you pay in that and expenses to make it profitable)You have some specific reason for wanting to do it- family ties, future home, major long-term hold, etc.Maybe I'm forgetting another one, but those two are all I have for now...

The way I countered this (still not as good as buying a note with idle cash but I have checkbook control) is the money paid out from a note fund I invested in is at Axos bank.

Once Dave chimes in I think you'll have a better perspective on what that could be...

The only reason I chimed in is a lot of folks might take this as gospel for any and all areas.

To offset costs, I’m planning to buy a duplex and pursue a house-hacking strategy:1.Rent out one unit as a long-term rental.2.Live in the other unit and rent out the bedrooms as short-term rentals (STRs) through a furnished rental approach.Before diving in, I have a couple of questions:1.Can I use a property for both short-term and long-term rentals?

I always try to find better markets to buy in but once I dive in I can't find a better place than where I am at.  

I keep track of expenses as they come in (I have a notebook) for each rental and file the invoices/bills/etc as soon as they come in and are paid.