There are some potential buyers who avoid interest-bearing mortgages, for religious or other reasons.

House-hacking today often has to rely on much greater lifestyle sacrifice than what I personally did 10 years ago, and requires strategies that would make me uncomfortable like rent by the room, or using local laws that allow Short-Term rental only for owner-occupants. 

My tenant pays below market rent because we want to support him and it’s a win-win situation, in that he fits in well with our lifestyle.

I have a clear goal tenant in mind, and pay close attention to the trends and lifestyle amenities that'll help us get to the top of the market from finish aesthetics to secure bike storage. 

Short-term vacation rentals are also a lifestyle investment, so if there is somewhere you enjoy visiting, I recommend starting there, it doesn’t have to be completely about the financials.

. ;)   Not raising the rents to market is just subsidizing someone else's lifestyle at the expense of your own household. 

Good job many times equates to a good lifestyle and there is nothing wrong with that.I scraped together (not easily) a few dollars and leveraged RE and held it long-term with little turn-over but hands on from the start.

There were shootings but generally amongst those who led a lifestyle that led them down that path (gangs); not random acts of violence towards landlords etc.

My overall goal with real estate is to have a small portfolio of STRs and LTRs that I'd hold to sustain my lifestyle going forward.

As for the median American in my age group, yes I'm way beyond that and I attribute that success to the following:- Willing to delay gratification on a regular basis- Willing to do jobs no one else wants to do- Willing to work long hours for results (a strong work ethic)- Willing to take calculated but high upside/low downside risks- Willing to allow the "fruits of my labor" to be returned to the business instead of paying for a lavish lifestyle- A strong commitment to these principles by my spouse- A strong run of being healthy enough to work to produce excess profits- The fortuitous grace of being born and growing up in the United States, where opportunities for financial success are everywhere and accessible to anyone- A splash of luck at being in the "right place at the right time"