Like someone else mentioned, doing a short term rental in a secluded basement that is very private and walled off is one thing, but sharing the same refrigerator, kitchen thermostat, etc. with a complete stranger seems like it will introduce more problems than what the money is actually worth.

Creative financing: Explore seller financing or subject-to deals for your next property, which often require less upfront cash and bypass traditional lending limits.You’re on the right track thinking long-term—house hacking and leveraging your duplex are great moves.

For example if you asked him to only paint a wall but the wall does not look good because the drywall itself is bad - that is not his problem because you did not want the drywall fixed.Specify what it is you want done and if complete you will release the payment. if he disagrees then he may sue and then let the court decide. 

You will also need wall hangings and art, not to mention kitchen stuff like silverware, pots and pans,

The beauty is, you can rinse and repeat, moving your equity up the ladder of properties, from a small duplex in Austin to a bigger aprtment complex in San Antonio, or even pivot into a promising commercial spot right here in the Phoenix area.I remember a friend of mine who started off nervous as heck about his first exchange.

Yes I’m looking for small multi family duplex to quad  that is livable for the moment if tenants are in there that I can potentially fix up to raise rents to market and therefore I can refinance pull my money back out to reuse.

I also recommend starting small with a duplex or single-family home to learn the ropes before scaling up

A duplex or SFH purchased around that time would likely have appreciated by 5-10%, depending on the neighborhood, and rents in Oceanside and Carlsbad have continued to rise steadily, offering a solid ROI.One client I worked with last year ran into similar frustrations with bidding wars.

I've seen a few folks make that kind of jump, and it's not as off-the-wall as some might think.

Yet for owners of rental SFRs, duplexes and condos—not to mention retail and restaurants—COVID-19 threatens to reduce landlords’ rental income, perhaps entirely.