I've done 7 myself and lived for free or better in every single one.

I started with a single-family home and it gave me a solid foundation without too much risk.

It's a single family home in Overland Park, KS.

At one large single family house with 4  bedrooms the yearly oil was $5,900, as the boiler produced domestic hot water also and ran 24/7/365. 

For example, an algorithm can't compare a property that charges a flat fee for utilities vs one that charges based on use. 

All you need is a single place to track tenant information, payment history, maintenance, and a few other things.

The ONLY exception is that a landlord may charge two months' rent if the tenant qualifies for utility assistance, the lease requires the tenant to pay utilities directly to the landlord, and the tenant and landlord agree in writing.

After years of focusing on my career and building financial stability, I’m ready to dive into real estate investing and start creating passive income and long-term wealth.My short-term goal is to purchase my first duplex or single family rental. 

Purchase price: $137,000 Cash invested: $90,000 Sale price: $285,000 This was a single family home in Bates Hendricks.

In your case of a fourplex, option 2 should get you a better deal.I would also agree with Bill on how the number of units may not correlate with the value of the property unless it is a large multifamily complex, and sometimes a fourplex or several single family houses would give you better returns. 100% We always recommend conventional first until you can no longer qualify for those.