I of course want to start small.My dilemma is: I was approved through work to get a forgivable $12,500 down payment assistance on a "primary home" near where I work.

Feel free to reach out for assistance! 

There are also others who assist in teaching you DD.Another route is to find a broker-dealer who invests in alternative investments like real estate funds as they will have done a lot of DD on the sponsor as well. 

This platform is designed to greatly assist you in networking and gaining knowledge about real estate.

I believe single family homes will appreciate the best, and when you are young you are ok with doing rent by the room to friends or family to assist with the costs.

Feel free to reach out if I can be of any assistance!

Quote from @Lauren Cartmell: Quote from @Bruce Lynn: Happy to assist you Lauren. 

We also run a residential assisted living mastermind to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.

@Emmanuel RugambaChicago is a great market for house hacking because of its affordable 2-4 unit properties, strong tenant demand, and diverse neighborhoods.

Would any loan servicer do, or should I search for a particular group of local or nationwide servicers who can assist me (a small business owner financing purchases versus a big bank)?