If it's an owner occupied loan, the underwriter will need to verify this is your primary residence.

Investment Info:Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

It instantly has $50-70k worth of built in equity right away!

Me and my wife have decided to sell our first duplex deal after 4 years of holding it we have built over 250k of equity wow ! 

How much equity do you have?

I guess I could do some work-arounds -- maybe reserve one unit in the first purchase for use as an AirBnb, and reserve my own time in it when needed - instead of claiming it as a primary.Are either of you (or anyone) familiar with a finance product/loan that will allow me to purchase under $150,000 (w/ strong credit) and do much of my own work and live-in a portion as a primary residence?  

House hacking with an FHA loan is a great way to minimize living costs while building equity, or you could invest in an out-of-state rental for steady cash flow.

Both strategies are great and have their pros and consOne of the biggest wealth building tools in real estate is the ability to purchase a property as a primary residence and put less then 20% down.

A good way into it may be doing a house hack or live and flip then pulling the equity out in a refinance.Tons of ways to make money in this game!

Capital gains are calculated as:Sale Price - (Original Purchase Price + Capital Improvements + Selling Costs) - depreciation (if applicable) = Capital GainYour mortgage or HELOC balance does not affect this calculation—it only determines how much cash you take home after the sale.In Massachusetts, if the home was your primary residence for at least 2 out of the last 5 years, you may qualify for the Section 121 Exclusion, allowing you to exclude up to $250,000 (single) or $500,000 (married filing jointly) of the gain from federal capital gains tax.