1099 income is self employment, meaning your claimed income will be ignored by any traditional mortgage lender (no, issuing yourself paystubs or showing bank statements will not work), and we are forced to just go off of what your tax returns say.

The gentrification is very much in full force and there are some great properties to be rehabbed.

I read this article, but this struck me more as a case study: https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/04/0...Right now, I live in CA and have a duplex in OR and another duplex in CT (forced to be an out-of-state investor due to home prices in Southern California).

Some call it forced appreciation while others call it you make money when you buy.

This is first because the only home owners who lose over the long term in markets like SF are those that stretch too far financially and are forced to sell at the wrong time or give it back to the bank.Beyond that, I'd identify the sub-markets that seem to have the types of properties you need in budget.

The house hacking idea is good because it allows you to live for free and save money for downpayments but I don't think you should necessarily look at it as a flip.I find that duplexes or other small multi-family don't make great flips because it is harder to force appreciation with them like you can with single family homes.

If you are forcing that equity then great, evaluate closing costs of refi to down payment on new house.

I was forced to use the same questions and phrasing that you guys came up with, as opposed to my own.  

If you can identify a growing area where you believe the appreciation will be forced up due to stronger rents then maybe you take a hit on smaller year-over-year returns and gear up for a big splash down the road. 5.

You still have to cash flow or you will go bankrupt and be forced to sell.