i would probably start with a duplex. unsure if you are able to house hack or not as there may not be much of an incentive for owner occupied for commercial loan in your situation but would be worth looking into.

I could be off on this number so you would need to check with your loan officer, but I believe you must occupy the home 14 days or the equivalent of 10% of the days you will have it rented in order to qualify for a 2nd home loan. 

Banks will require that you have 1) 20% down payment(less if it is owner occupied)2) Closing Costs3) Several months of reserves

@Murali Jesudoss - the $400 to $500 range per year are Alabama homestead exemption rates - aka owner occupied properties. 

I keep hearing about this FHA loan option with only 3.5% money down for owner-occupied investments so that sounds awesome! 

@Richard CisnerosI think buying an owner occupied low money down is one of the best investments you can make, ever.

@Connor Hilliard  FHA loans are for owner occupied properties. 

Been looking to purchase a rural property for a few weeks and found a pretty remote one but it’s being sold at auction.  I’m unfamiliar with properties sold at auction.   What should I know?  What are the potential da...

I've been a superhost for years, and we have been 95-100% occupied since long before covid.My business partner and I currently have 3 cabins, and we really want to scale up to buy more.

You didn't mention if either of the houses were rentals or Owner Occupied.