First-time homeowners can start creating wealth through real estate while lowering their living expenses by using a clever tactic known as "house hacking."

I live in Jackson, MS, but I am open to travel and invest wherever.

You can get top dollar likely, but it still needs to be reasonable and comparable. if it’s a declining town with not many attractions or amenities, then it’s likely there’s no rentals available because nobody wants to live there. mot sounds like you may be describing more situation #1, in which case it’s a ripe opportunity if you can get a deal on a property

I live in Nashville TN but am looking to invest in Dyersburg Tn, as of which the housing market is significantly lower due to a much lower cost of living.

I live in the Grand Rapids area as well.

If one had enough income to cover all their debt payments outside of rental income then reserves would not be as necessary as someone who relies on rental income to live on.

Thank you for the reply.I live in Bay Area. 

I live in Denver,Colorado. 

I built up my runway and have the skills to buy and rehab in a desirable area near where I live and work and then hopefully rent two rooms out to roommates while saving for my next house.I’ve been watching the market for two years now and know which houses are good, what they will go for, and how quickly. 

So there are a few ways to look at this, the 1st question is are you sure your renovation’s will double the property value, most renovations on primary residences, your lucky to get 60-70% of the dollar cost back out upon sale, so really nail down your comps, than you have basically a math problem if your rate on your primary goes up how long if ever before that extra payment is more than 400k in taxes, that’s just a simple calculation to help you decide, but I suspect you actually have a different question here, from a purely financial perspective my guess is the best option is to do anything to avoid that tax hit, but one of the reasons to make money is to spend it on things that you enjoy, based on your overall financial picture and a subjective view of how much enjoyment you will get out of a renovated home, you should decide if you want to roll your profit into another deal or “cash-out” your winnings, I love cars and I’m willing to spend more than is fiscally smart on them because they bring me joy, there is nothing wrong with that, but i don’t think it’s a fiscally smart choice, without knowing your exact property id imagine a renovation would fall into that category, so that’s the terms I would use to decide.