My wife and I purchased our first home, a multi family, to house hack in late 2024. The property is in great condition and we got it at a great price! Downstairs 2br 1bath unit we are living in. Upstairs is 1br 1bath....

Over that time we have acquired 4 properties, 6 doors. 

I'm a real estate investor in other parts of the country but not NY due to the extremely high buy in price.

This will save you time and effort, as you won’t have to travel long distances to manage different properties or handle tenant issues.For your first investment, I suggest starting with 2-4 unit properties.

As others noted, you are likely limited in what you can legally do anyways, so you won't be saving a ton, and depending on how you value your time, it will likely be cheaper to higher professionals to do it anyways.

Their answers are always along the lines of "no money down" or "you can use it basically an unlimited amount of times".

If they’re financing, the process already takes time, so a slight delay probably won’t matter.If the home is vacant, maybe they can move some things in as a short-term tenant until closing (if their lender and community allows it).

It was on the market for a long time because it didn't qualify for conventional financing will it being unlivable. 

Additionally, it’s a good idea to network with local real estate agents who specialize in short-term or mid-term rental markets.Good luck with your new venture! 

However, don't have any of those loans anymore (most paid off).The only thing I do that you don't, is use trusts, and love them and they have saved my bacon a number of times.