I understand getting permits and complying to minimum requirements that make bedrooms legal.

I then bought my principal property which is a 3 bedroom single family.

More square footage, more bedrooms, more baths, etc. (3BR or more are better than 2.

Purely based on the fact that may be similar to yours, but I just did not need to own, and am comfortable living in a one bedroom apartment as my the more expensive properties are being paid down though my renters. 

For the ultimate house hack rent the empty bedrooms in your own apartment as part of the quad.

I followed that link... the FMV of a 3-bedroom is $979... my rent is $1200... so does that mean that the Section 8 will pay $979 and the tenant will be responsible for the rest?

I'm also divorced and pay a nice chunk of child support.In order to rent a decent place until my kids are a little older (14 and 17 right now) I rent a 3 bedroom unit in a rental complex. 

Buying a duplex is a great start, but if you can't find any of those, consider buying a single family and renting out a couple of bedrooms.

Rents are expected to be in the $1,100 to $1,900 range and while that does feel a bit high for the market, if these units are higher end and offer nice amenities with multiple bedrooms I think they will rent. 

Every living room has a smart HDTV, every bedroom has an old style television.