Be thorough, be patient, and understand it's a government institution so things may take a while. 

I understand that this money is borrowed money, so I dont want to have it locked in a deal for a long time and pay the interest payments.

From my understand, it would still be under the LLC in that instance.

The most successful investors in my circle here in columbus have their portfolio built of primarily SFH. inlist quality brokers, agents, and wholesalers to fill your funnel and then team up with a great honest general contractor to help you understand the back end of the projects.

Welcome to BP - think you are definitely starting in the right place - house hack duplex to start the real estate investing journey should be a solid bet - don't need a huge amount of capital either if you buy smart

I was under the understanding that I could do a room ratio and deduct 50% of the upper unit expenses due to all other areas being equally shared.

Depending on the location, you are probably sitting on a solid equity position.

.- He recently inherited a 3-bedroom single-family home in Fremont, CA, valued around $1 million, currently rented out for $4,000/month.Alex's main concerns are balancing his full-time job with the demands of real estate investment, managing cash flow effectively, and understanding the potential tax benefits.- What investment strategies should he consider?

The property is an existing STR and the historical P&L data is solid.

I have seen some solid deals at online auction sites, but I am not sure how to get started.