In other words, the person with the most toys, wins... not the person who paid the least amount of tax.

Echoing what Nathan said-make sure you compare the scope of work both are planning on doing and vet your person.

We took the depreciation on our personal tax return in 2022.

We are shooting for 3x income, but might settle for as low as 2x, if the person seems like a good candidate.

It is a bit of a gamble, but personally, I always get my own bids from people I will hire and either take a credit on price or have title issue the checks directly to those contractors to get work done as soon as I close.  

I would vet them intensely and make sure the lease is personally guaranteed. 

James has time and time again always posted extremely helpful information on every post, he would be a great person to connect with. 

Response to #1: Some lenders allow for layered entities while others want warm bodies/natural persons to be direct managers.

Haven't personally used either but they are both on my radar.

My advice when looking at a house hack is to not get too in the weeds on how the property or building performs compared to other properties in the area, but rather view it from the lens of what it will do your personal finances and the impact it will have on your personal cost of living.