Are you talking about some small BFE towns or something? 

I have looked at List Source but only got a small number of 2-4 unit names in my zip codes.

Small money and makes the place feel refreshed.

I'm interested in small multi-family properties in which I could house hack for a year or two. 

Although for a small property you may not have common water utilities like pool, laundry, etc , though you may have lawn irrigation.e.g.

The tenants have a laundry/ dryer hookup, and a small storage area in the basement.

I raised the question about pulling title, closing costs, points, etc and he said "The costs would be minimal on a small cash out like this, I'll work both out and show you." 

This is because traditional banks/lenders are going to go off the income you report to the IRS, which especially for small business is typically really low after expenses/write-offs (investors often run into these issues as well after investment property write-offs).

I'm not sure there's a precedent for a small time landlord with single family houses doing the same?

@Justin KlepferLook for lawyers who specifically mention estate planning, small business, and real estate in describing their experience.