Going to go for 2 years and my starting salary will be around low 200s should I go all in with a 4 plex or just start with a duplex like you said to?

I look for recommendations on places like NextDoor, where local folks are complainers. 

Whether you want to buy a 2-4 unit place where you live in 1 unit and rent out the rest or do something like a live in flip (where you fix up a house over the course of 2-3 years, move out and sell it to capture a tax free profit), it will mitigate your risk because it is where you live. 

As bad as that sounds, the other side is you have people selling things like STRs are recession proof.

We really like that this maximizes revenue with out having to turn a units 8-12 times a month. 

The best thing to do would be to consult an attorney, but likely, that is not an option for everyone starting out.I'm not an attorney, and this is not legal advice, but some of the information that we include in our contracts is:- A clear scope of work - Payment schedule / Milestones- Change order approval process- Allowances for finished materials- Reasons to terminate the contract- Expectations for start date (X amount of time after final plans /permits are received or X amount of time after the contract is executed)- General schedule and timeline (This is where you could specify an end date - however it may be better use incentives rather than liquidated damage if your general contractor is late - we've done both, but found General Contractors respond better to getting something if they get done early instead of being punished for being late. 

It's looking like prices are going to be around $1m.

I'd like to keep my mother's room locked and still have the option of staying in that room for 2-4 weeks during the school year (while the tenant is also in the house) and for a few weeks during the summer (when the tenant lives elsewhere). 

I’d love to hear your insights to help guide newer investors like myself and others in the community.

I like to hand-deliver it and set an appointment for my first inspection so I can start documenting the condition of the rental from that point forward.