For scaling your portfolio, consider house hacking another multi-family property to minimize living expenses while building equity.

It's one of the last few "affordable" areas near downtown Denver.Are you buying as a primary residence, looking to house-hack with the studio out back? 

At closing:The homeowner deeds the property to the straw borrower, relying on the false promises made by the ‘investor’All proceeds are used to pay off the defaulted loanThe homeowner walks away with nothingThe 'investor' pockets the equity and runsThe straw borrower defaults on the loanThe homeowner is evicted, loses the house and all equityThere are many variations of a foreclosure rescue scheme.

I am currently looking to build a spec home and use my equity to help finance the build.

If you're just starting out, house hacking a duplex or SFH with an ADU can be a great way to reduce living expenses while building equity. 

However I think the area is going to improve in the next few years + have equity gains. 4 bedrooms + 3 baths seems like a decent amount of space for a tenant.

Yes, you can do a refinance to tap some more of the equity on the property.

Quote from @Min Zhang: Investment Info:Single-family residence fix & flip investment in Columbus.

I invest in Boise, ID and do quite a few BRRRRs, LTRs and STRs- varying degrees of success depending on how much equity we can force and the type of back end financing we can find, but the tax benefits are great and it's a rapidly growing market and Idaho is probably the most landlord friendly state in the nation. 

BRRR/house hack/str/mtr/ltr.... leveraged equity building vs. cash flow).3.