My whole model is buying either A ares in houston (Montrose) or C areas that are within a, say, 5 mile radius of the hot areas for path of progress appreciation.

So I'm trying to figure out the best path.

This is very simple, straight forward and takes only a few moments to do.  

Hi,

I'm new to real estate investing from Minneapolis, MN. I'm very excited because I'm currently pre-approved and searching for my first duplex to house hack!

I currently work as a civil engineer for geotechnical ...

The paperwork is fairly straightforward, the marketing, materials, vehicle etc is all deductible.

However, the key to the success was the fact that the house had a layout where adding the bathroom was relatively simple and straightforward (no need to deal with load-bearing walls, no significant re-routing of plumbing, electrical or HVAC, etc.

People will use the path of least resistance when it comes to just about everything.

If the property meets the criteria of the lender - getting a loan is pretty straight forward.

Buy and hold is likely my path. 

Fun to follow your path here.