Hey Colin, it’s fantastic to see someone your age diving right into the real estate world.. reminds me of when a buddy of mine bought his first duplex in Omaha.

You should look for an "investor-friendly" PM company that knows how it is just dipping your toe into the water of buying a home/condo/townhome.. 

If you are single or married with a small child, buying a duplex or 4plex should work well.  

Hi Katie, I’ve actually been thinking about exploring smaller acquisitions like duplexes, triplexes, or quadplexes as a starting point.

Say I took a gap year and house-hacked a duplex in and around Austin (probably outside Austin) in my hometown for the gap year, and then I left and rented out both sides while in university.

Welcome @Rafael Franco and thanks for sharing your experience :)Good luck @Luís Ferreira with your duplex purchase.

I just closed a DSCR loan on a Duplex with Total Quality Lending.

Hello everyone,I am from Alexandria, VA located at the border of Washington DC and Prince George County, MD working for a kitchen and bath remodeling company since 2017 known as European Granite Design that also fabricates granite, quartz, marble and quartzite countertops since 2003.I'm experienced Sales and project manager also designs kitchens & bathrooms for remodeling.Using my expertise and connections I want to start working for myself flipping old condos or houses in the Washington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia (DMV) area.

i also had HVAC mystery issues in my first duplex when we house hacked it.Regarding the Daikin Mini Split - I have one in the 3rd story of my current home and it seems to work great for us. 

I'd also suggest Union City, where my wife and I owned a condo.