If you’re aiming for growth, house hacking by building the 5-bedroom home could generate strong rental income and increase the property’s value long-term.

As an added bonus, doing all of this well can often land you on the "vendor list" of a company, putting your contact number as the first call to make when placing the next crew passing through.I apologize for the long-winded reply as you probably know and understand all of this, but there might be a reader that doesn't. 

In my experience, the longer the message, the less likely they are to read everything and if its too long they may pass over importsnt rules or details.

not sure I know exactly what those mean yet except to say I'm looking for more long term equity to have better tenants/houses than better short term cash flow with lower tier properties.  

I’d recommend reading a TON of books and attending meetups rather than spend $7,000-$15,000+ for a mentorship that’s not going to pay off in the long run.

If you're starting from close to zero, you need to be flexible, scrappy and willing to sacrifice your current lifestyle in the short term for the better lifestyle in the long term.

I have started going down the road to do a DSCR cash out refi on a duplex (BRRR) I purchased last year with my HELOC, but not that far yet.

How long is your ROI?

I would also purchase BP's book on STR's, written by Avery Carl called Short Term Rental, Long Term Wealth.

String lights, fire pit, grill and some chairs go a long way and look great when lit up in night-time photos.