Doing a house hack you get the advantage of a place to live while you're continuing your RE journey.  

We currently live in Raleigh area. 

A lot of people don't have a whole lot of interest in living in constant fixer-uppers, so you have to have the right mentality for that.A variation on it, if you want to live in better homes that aren't great rentals, is to, again, buy homes that are under market because they need some work, do the work, live there 2 years then sell for a profit and keep all of your capital gains.

I’m all about vendors earning a living… but some use that exploitive model where the theory seems to be “If they’ll pay it, why not!”  

People do not live that way any more.

Hello, I live in California, and bought my first investment property (SFH) in Peoria, AZ.

For the last 10 years, I've been living in Asia running a small marketing business I started from nothing to making $3-4k per month.

If you're good with these numbers, get a house inspection to find out if there are any other problems with the roof, foundation, HVAC, etc.Lastly, keep in mind that a big job like renovation is much more difficult if you're living in the house while work is being done - doubly so if you're doing the work yourself while living there.All the best with it!

If they have a higher income, they are likely living large and accumulating more debt; but as a landlord your main concern is will they pay the bills and take care of your rental.

It would also double as my primary residence as I would live there spring and fall.