Start with your primary, rent out any spare bedrooms "house hack"Use that to practice upgrades, kitchen, bathroom, curb appeal... etcNow you have experience as a landlord and flipper, use that to buy a distressed propertyAdd 40% equity to the property through home makeover, refinance into a low cost mortgageNow you are cashflowing a healthy margin on a second property, use that to build equity over time, cashout later and buy your duplex/quad.If it's going to take you 10 years to save up a down payment for a small apartment building, yeah it makes more sense to start growing your portfolio with cheap SFR flips instead.Every market is different, every borrower is different, every property is different, it would be ill-advised to recommend anything without recognizing the individual's nuanced goals and objectives with their next acquisition.

purchased it deeply discounted What was the outcome?

., must share certain attributes (bedrooms, bathroom, etc.).T3: Compare property typeIn "The Book on Flipping Houses" by J Scott, it mentioned about adjusting the value of the comps to ensures that they resemble the subject property as closely as possible.

Look for properties with outdated kitchens or bathrooms, as these updates often yield high returns.

The upstairs is approved for short-term and long-term rentals and has a kitchen, bathroom, and a Victorian room that could be a bedroom.Notes:-There are three vaults, one on each floor.

All other things being equal, pre-constructions are mathematically (much) better deals because you pay (much) less, assuming again that you're not overpaying, as a discount on an overpriced property is no discount.

purchased it deeply discounted What was the outcome?

These markets will offer you distressed properties starting at 60kish or so and up to 150kish.For example, let me make up a hypothetical deal.You buy a house for 90k and am putting 60k in to add. half bath, redo the kitchen and bathroom, brand new paint and new LVP flooring all throughout. 

I usually recommend clients a pretty easy cosmetic rehab which is refinish floors, replace cabinets with modern white ones, add a white stone, new appliances, new bathroom vanity/mirror/light fixture and add in unit laundry. 

Purchase price: $8,500,000 Cash invested: $3,450,000 This property was acquired from a motivated seller at a 20%+ discount to market value.