Maybe get into a place that you could live rent-free and still have some cash while saving what you'd pay in rent each month to work on the next investment? 

Not a bad spot to be in.I am a relatively recent transplant to Steamboat Springs, CO and I am using these same tactics to rapidly learn about this town.

It is 100% possible for you to obtain a cashflowing multi family and walk away from the closing table with several thousands in commission and have a place to live, rent free while you owner occupy 1 of the units (Most feasible when done with purchasing Quads and triplexes).Just persevere and grind towards your goal.

They already live rent free.

How often do we hear, "I did everything right and I took it on the chin, then I picked myself up again and did everything right again and took it in the liver, then I realized I was not born under a lucky star, dragged myself out of my general depression and did half as many things not so right and very, very conservatively, and now after fifteen years of barely keeping my head above water I am proud that at 50, I've paid my kid's way through community college and the last two years at a cut-rate state school, and I'm living la vida broke-ah on the 22K a year I clear from my investments, Lord willing I have no major health problems..."

In addition, if you do your homework you can invest with some of the sharpest and most experienced investors alive who eat, breathe, sleep & live RE investing.

Also being a recent NoVA transplant, DC is a crazy market so maybe not the best baseline :)

And the ideal house hack is purchasing a small multifamily property at a purchase price that allows them to live "rent-free," and save their housing expenses for other opportunities.

I’m also a transplant and have done well with house hacking with Airbnb to start out in seattle.

We currently live rent free, and rent that house out for $2,350 after management fees.