Not to mention my Japanese friends who are in college all have cheap apartments by the college because they don't want to wake up at 5 am for a 2-hour commute to school.

On my end, I’ve managed to save about $80K and still owe $17K in student loans, but since I’m in the grace period after graduating in May, I’ve held off on paying them to keep my savings in a high-yield account for now.I’ve been exploring Midwest markets where property prices are more affordable, and I feel like this might be the right place for me to start my real estate investing journey.In the meantime, I’m also working with my parents to convert their single-family home into a three-family unit.

You don’t need an SSN to get a driver’s license, register for school, get private health insurance, or apply for school lunch programs or subsidized housing."

Some old school things that work....first make sure the place has blinds or curtains on every window. 

In an ideal world, I think I'd definitely "graduate" to commercial, I get a feeling there's a real upside there (but I assume you need quite a hefty starting capital).

River, I have bid on a few properties that would be great for short term but most of what I am looking at are for long term due to town restrictions and very good school districts.

Low crime and good schools except for problematic counties and cities which every state has.

Nothing in stone right now, since I'm still in school, but preparing for after graduation (6/2025). 

In a survey of high school and college-age people by software firm Jobber last year, 75 percent said they would be interested in vocational schools offering paid, on-the-job training (WSJ).”And this idea of blue collar career interest was recently discussed on the All In Podcast, which includes a group of prominent Venture Capitalists.

Couple things I wish someone told me when I rented out my primary in Katy:- your taxes will go up dramatically over time - cash flow is inconsistent- while Katy is a fantastic rental market it's still competitiveTo answer your questions: - yes, the homestead exemption will increase your taxes at a faster rate but you can protest them either yourself (I don't recommend as I've tried and it was a pain) or with a professional service- To start, you're either going to pay for books, classes, etc. or pay the school of hard knocks.