Also, the term "house hacking" is generally used for your owner occupied home (renting out rooms in your primary home) and that income cannot be used to help you qualify (it is considered boarder income). 

I am working toward passive income to live off of.

You can most likely still get a loan but it would be a low LTV and higher rate, especially with little income some SS. 

• Any tips for maximizing house hacking opportunities in this area?

Mortgage rates and PMLs are 8-12% plus points right now so the deal has to be a low enough entry. 

Mortgage lenders will qualify you for a higher purchase amount for multis than they would on a single, because they will count the rent you will be making on the other units as additional qualifying income for your loan application.

After 20 years as an investor, broker, and lender, I can tell you that house hacking is one of the smartest ways to start.

If your goal is passive income, it's not going to be in New Jersey when you factor in cost to purchase, management costs, and rent to price ratio, but what you can get is steady appreciation.

If you want to put down a low down payment, you might not cash flow for a few years.And FHA for 3-4 units is almost impossible.

@Tony SchmuckerFrom my experience of working with over 400 investors, your strategy to relocate, house hack, and transition properties to management is a strong, methodical approach.