I'm interested in investing in multi unit properties and potentially get into house hacking.

What most people fail to realize is that most of the turnovers at least the ones I’ve seen the house will need some repairs before a new tenant is placed.

Since we are considering a 4 bedroom house, let's compare it to a 2 bedroom 2 bath duplex each side.  

No taxes, she got to keep the house and no stress about income.

Well I think he was planning to pay it but it wasn't long overdue so he certainly wasn't expecting a lien to be placed on the house one day prior to sale.

@Jason Sinclair, having a designer for a wife, I would answer that it really depends heavily on each house, the flow and usability of the spaces as they are, and the overall use of space in the house as a whole.That being said, while there may be a small shift towards more separated spaces, "open concept" is by no means dead, and in many markets, most people seem to still want to have connectivity between their communal spaces.In fact, my wife's current flip is a split level (although technically it is a split-foyer), and she is taking out a structural wall to connect the kitchen, dining and living areas.  

from a laptop or mobile phone on one of my SFR's (internet must be hooked up, but most tenants do it anyway and like to be able to monitor the outside of the house remotely, even if there's nothing going on.)

If the house was built in the 50's or earlier than you probably have cast iron pipes.

So the line is a shared private line between the 8 houses. 

Start small with strategies like house hacking, leveraging your hands-on skills for value-add properties, and building a strong team or network to reduce risks.