if you're willing to put up with the pain and inconvenience - moving every 1-3 years, living in the smaller / worse units, DIYing things - you could have a portfolio of 5-20 units in 10 years, just by using your house payment.maybe the house you have would be an OK rental. 

Not so dissimilar from most note joint ventures agreements.

This may be an overly ambitious strategy considering that I am inexperienced in both DIY and sales contracts, but in theory it seems like a very efficient option.

If you have natural gas to that spot for a tanked unit, swapping to a tankless is cake.Insulate the garage door if that isn't done.If you are local and handy, you can do a DIY mini split in there for under $1000.

Just curious to see how people in this community started when venturing into the land and new construction aspect of investing. 

You can add more veterans to add more units but they may not want to tie up their entitlement into this venture unless it brings in some major profits, or else they can go acquire their own owner occupied 4 unit & make their own profits.I'd love to brainstorm more about this idea with you if you're still pondering it yourself!

However, the enthusiasm for this venture is undeniable.

., particularly in neighboring states like New York (Buffalo) or Michigan (Detroit), can be a promising venture for Canadian investors.Evaluating Markets:Buffalo, New York:Pros: Buffalo has seen revitalization efforts, making it attractive for investment.

It was built in '59 and the previous owner did mainly DIY fixes for everything.

Start with that, then if those don't work you can venture into the Hard money and all the other fun stuff.you can always consider bringing on a partner as well, you seem to be able to offer the time and research needed.