I know "house hacking" is getting popular, but frankly, I would NEVER let tenants live with me!  

I tend to think that luck has much to do with any money-makers  Make sure, if you have committed to doing that, is that it is in a good location and the demand is good in that area, that the area has good amenities, good retail around it, and the population and jobs are growing in that area. 

Not educated on your market but I would assume if your looking to grow your portfolio having roughly $ 155k ( after you pay 20K LT Tax ) a great jumpstart no matter where the market.

Instead what was planted was whatever the (deal of the day) was and some of these trees can grow 30,50,100 feet etc.

Prices are low and the University seems to be growing (and supported by the state) which makes it seem a little safer.

I'm looking at buy-and-hold investments and I plan to start slowly with cash, then expand through leverage as my comfort and functional knowledge grows.

This morning I was listening to a popular real estate investing podcast and they were discussing the many ways to finance a deal and step to get you finances in order before diving into REI.

One reason we invested in Capstone area was that the guys at Priority One told me that there is always a waitlist for tenants...very popular place to rent.

@Michael ForbesIf you are not aware yet, a Roth IRA can be invested in real estate and may be a good way to continue to grow your Roth IRA tax-free funds.The rules require Roth IRA assets to be distributed in the following order: regular contributions, conversions and retirement plan rollovers, and earnings (IRC Sec. 408A(d)(4) and Treas.

If you're worried about legal risk, don't start a grow operation.