Managing self-employment income requires tracking eligible deductions like business expenses, home office use, and retirement contributions.

That is a really low rate which is good so second or heloc would be better unless you didnt have the cash to get a second mortgage and the rate difference * cost of second home dont exceed the rate difference to your primary * principle left.I would lean fixed heloc then you could always refinance if rates go down.

Quote from @Josh Dickson: Hello all,I've been flirting with real estate for a long time but due to my low earning potential, thus far I have never felt comfortable taking on the risk.

Rising maintenance costs, turnover, Taxes, and other expenses will also contribute to this.  

Cleveland and Dayton can be great markets for high cash flow and low purchase prices, but you need to be careful when navigating the neighborhoods so you're not buying in a D/F class area where no property managers will manage and where you'll never see any positive cash flow.

.🚀 Making It Work1️⃣ Optimize Your Space – Converting a living room or office into an extra bedroom can supercharge returns.2️⃣ Target the Right Tenants – Young professionals, digital nomads, and students love co-living setups.3️⃣ Automate the Management – Using systems for roommate screening, lease agreements, and shared expenses makes it passive.Co-living is gaining serious traction in house hacking circles, and I’d love to hear from others who are using this model.

What was your upstart expenses and do you consider it a profitable endeavor or something that just waste time?

I would search for a property that has a low interest rate Fha or VA loan.

Not sure your situation financially but even your $100,000 HELOC is going to probably run you $12,000 additional each year in expense that you've got to factor in.

Small multi-family properties starting at over $1M, which is pretty expensive and, resale single family (before year 2000) offer minimal cash flow (~$200-300/month).2.