There are many here in my local area and your area is likely to have the same type of meetings.Most of the deals that I fund are by meeting investors in person at these groups and creating strong relationships. 

My apartment bldg has 6 units, so it's a commercial loan.

I also really like the idea of buying land and building on it, although from my understanding that is a lot harder to get a loan for that a traditional mortgage. 

Bank pushed us to 40% down payment so also executed a $85K seller carry-back loan to cross the finish line.

Do the math at a 6% loan rate.There's a reason many apartment buildings have been converted to condos and sold.

FHA and Conventional loans will allow schooling to count as work history.

Use tools like the VA loan for house hacking and your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to cover living costs while building equity.

Consider a 15 year loan.

@Grant Shipman Great stuff, I'm a big fan of co-living/rent by room strategy, and I do it here locally in Denver metro, and it is the best strategy in today's market for any house hacker to live for free or make money while living there, but they have to sacrifice personal space.

My belief is that you will be challenged to realize a 10% savings loan n your first effort and there is some chance it will cost more than if you used a GC.