Let's say your exact property one block away is renting for $1000.00 per month and yours is renting for $750.00 per month, that is instant equity that a good manager can recover for instant income.

I bought it for $113K, put $22K into repairs and upgrades, and the smaller next door unit sold for $165K a month later... so I'd estimate that I have about $40K of instant equity.

You would also be instantly loosing money if you choose to hire a property manager. 

After getting all the data, financials, and doing a lot more deep looking, the numbers are solid, and is an amazing purchase with instant cash flow if there wasn't one HUGE red flag issue...Is this boom going to last a month, or 20 years?  

When you finally stumble upon the home run you will instantly recognize it as such.By the way you didn't mention it but do not be concerned about the fact people will perceive you as too young.

Whether I house hack or not, I'd much rather own a brand new building in a booming neighborhood that gives me an instant equity bump with no repair expenses for the next 10 years, even if it meant a small cash flow in the first year of househacking, than owning an old duplex in a B-C neighborhood that gives me an OK cash flow but also eats more time and money to insure, maintain and repair the whole time I own it.

So I can no longer work as a nurse in corrections a massage therapist my 30 year careers gone in an instant.

At the same time we try to have as much instant value as possible so we buy predominately short although our first house was a foreclosure.

The IRS website generates a number almost instantly (as I recall) and it's free.

The projected cash flow on these is not wonderful, but both deals have instant built in equity.