As for investing, if possible have your parents co-sign on a house-hack situation and learn to manage properties by doing. 

I had to overpay but was living with my parents until I found a place and I was a eager to get out of that situation :)Goal is to acquire at least one multi-family this year in one of the B city neighborhoods.

I then moved into my friend's parent's vacation townhome for $600 and rented out my entire house.

Also cannot invest with direct relatives such as parents or siblings.  

Many of these homes are purchased by parents of students as a cheap housing option with some residual cash flow. 

I would suggest you talk to your parents, older siblings, etc and see if any of them would consider co-signing on a mortgage. 

When it's not your kid, you get the parents to co-sign the leases.

I'm looking to invest with little of my own money down and my parents have agreed to loan me money for the down payment of a duplex.

As our family is growing, we can no longer live in our parents homes in the summer. 

So he came to me with the idea instead of having a parent or whoever cosign for him for a better loan to maybe go 50/50 with him on a house and be his cosigner.