We also offered to help them find new housing, relocate them for free and help in any other way we could.

My job is our sole income and I get relocated for projects frequently so any property would have to be managed remotely (willing to invest anywhere in the states).Given the our situation above and our long term goals, I feel best next steps would be a heavy emphasis on networking and deal analysis.

We would not be paying for them to relocate for a day.

Are you relocating?

Main questions should ask about the seller's:- Reasons/Motivations for wanting to sell- Desired timeline to close- Plan's after selling (relocation, reinvesting proceeds, 1031 exchange, etc)- Back-up plan in case they are unable to sell within the desired timeline- Reasons for not already selling to/with a investor or RealtorAdditional questions will depend on the type of seller lead i.e. pre-foreclosure, probate, fsbo, absentee owner, etc.Here is an example of a youtube search you can use to begin finding call recordings.There are 1,000s and you'll find that the best/most effective ones don't even sound like sales calls.

My main concern about actual house hacking for a few years in a row is that we don't want the kiddos to have to change schools once we relocate up there.I'm thinking about getting an appreciation-oriented duplex/triplex in a pricier market with good schools that we could stay in for several years, and saving for an actual cashflow property that'd we buy as an investment property instead of a house hack.

And realistically i would only like to put 20k-50k down so i can have some cushion if i want to force appreciation with little renevations plus relocation costs. 

However, I do sometimes have a tenant move-in sign unseen if they are relocating from outside the area.

My channel is a lead-funnel for relocation clients, usually executives. 

Insurance relocation rents are often capped (at least in our area) to be 1% of the insured value of the affected property per month.