The city is rapidly growing in terms of population and job market with so many major companies choosing to move and develop here like Intel, Google, Amazon, etc.

Investors should therefore exercise significant care when choosing their Qualified Intermediary because of the critical role the company will play in the administration of their 1031 Exchange transaction.It is extremely important to note that 1031 Exchange Qualified Intermediaries are generally not required to be licensed, regulated, audited or otherwise monitored by any regulatory body.

I choose Italy because I have a few advantages there.

If you are limited to those areas for residency, and you choose to keep that job, you are going to have to either a) wait for a couple years and save up a heftier down-payment, b) change your strategy like you said and go for houses further away (do flips, STR or BRRR).Or, if you are sold on the house-hack concept, at some point you might have to look at a different job that allows you to move where house-hacking will work....

This was my first property, and while it's been a great learning experience, I made several mistakes along the way—ranging from choosing a realtor who was more focused on closing the deal than finding the right house, to having a poor inspection and overlooking issues hidden beneath the surface (literally).

Low income choosing high occupancy to stay here.  

So who knows what the localities will and won’t be able to choose on their own later on.  

Then focus on improving your interviewing skills to help you build a solid team on the ground wherever you do choose to invest.

Choose a HELOC if the property is appreciating and cash flow remains strong, or a 1031 if you want to diversify or upgrade assets.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

Then use the extra roommate rent income to pay down your mortgage and look to refi to a lower payment in the future (3-5 years) - so it cashflow when you move out.You could also choose the smaller unit and STR the other unit to generate more cash to pay down your mortgage and refi, so it cashflows when you move out.Bottom line: you'll have to get creative to solve your cashflow challenge!