You can look into low-income neighborhoods usually the properties are of lower value, but I'm not quite sure if that applies everywhere but I know in Florida I see it here and there, and if you need help looking I don't mind helping.i would be wary about REO/HUD owned properties as a first time househack.

Be sure to: call & verify employment references, request pay stubs to confirm income & check rental history by contacting the previous landlords.Keep the momentum going!

These logs regularly end up in the Tax Court and are usually destroyed upon review.

You must work at least 750 hours per year in a qualified RE business.So most people who have high-earning W-2 jobs outside of real estate won't qualify.But the unique thing about RE pro status is that even if you don’t qualify but your spouse does, you can both file jointly and claim the losses from your RE investments to offset your other active income together.It's an incredibly powerful benefit if you do meet the criteria.

Could you put it on a CC and pay it off within the billing cycle with either your income or selling some stock if absolutely necessary?

So, if you have 10 units and you are going to pay $1,500 a month and you are working on an active income job, too, this is an easy switch due to the labor mentally and physically (even if it is just phone calls) to get these rentals running as a well-oiled machine.  

78 Endicott St, Peabody – A 4-unit property with all 2BR/1BA layouts and off-street parking in a prime location near Route 128, the commuter rail, and Salem—just a 30-minute drive to Boston.Investment Breakdown:Purchase Price: $900K20% Down Payment @ 7% Interest: $180K → P&I = $4,790/monthRenovation Estimate: $200K ($50K/unit) → Total investment: $340KOperating Expenses: ~$18K/year (taxes & insurance)Stabilized Rents: $2,300/unit (market comps)Cash-on-Cash Return: 9% when stabilizedThis deal checks a lot of boxes:Max units for residential financing – You could live here & house hackCosmetic rehab potential – Flooring, cabinets, counters, appliances, paint (~$50K/unit)Strong long-term ROI – Factoring in principal paydown + 2% appreciation, a 5-year stabilized ROI of ~75%Pre-pandemic, these deals were more common closer to the city, but now we’re looking slightly further out—yet they still work as wealth-building assets.

By accelerating your depreciation schedules, you reduce your taxable income which in turn increases your operating cash flow.

Work with a lot of expats and foreign nationals in this space tax related.

But in my experience, you would be better off spending that same amount of time/hustle working a second part-time job with guaranteed income, then investing in buy-and-hold properties.