I also was previously roommates with a friend and that worked out well enough.My question is, would there be any merit in looking for a moderately nice duplex to house hack in this market?

Any deal I am interested in must stand on its own merits today.  

I think an elegant execution is the best strategy to lure in the better properties, unless you are interested in the low end properties, which do have their own merits.

@David D'Ambrosio , Your plan has some merit.  

Finally, I would love to make connections with real estate agents and other investors in Washington, especially those who deal with multifamily homes.Thanks in advance.Hi There,1) usually m2m rents for higher than 1 year lease unless you can negotiate it with an actual owner given you have great credit tons of reserves and can prove your merits as a good tenant you may get same rates for M2m as 1 year lease. 5 well behaved pets is probably a no go unless you have an large security deposit or other2) If you your gap of employment is over 1 year then you'll need 6 full months on your new job but if its its less than just 1 paystub is sufficient to use your new salary.

Chris NA and a few other investors at the meet-ups how lucrative it is to invest in the Bay, and they were blown away by the numbers.I don't know if there's any merits to this saying, but an experienced investor once told me "out of state investing is where CA investors go to lose money."  

I don't do it to purposely lose money.As far as "do I invest for a percentage of the flip" - since it's my own money, I have the flexibility of evaluating each deal on its own merits, and drawing my own conclusions.  

On their own merit I wouldn't consider them.Make the guarantor/co-signer fill out an application just like you did for the applicants and verify their income just like you would for a tenant. 

Look for anything relating to renewal or "holding over" to see if the landlord's claim has any merit.2.

Every deal is analyzed on it's own merit.