I have flipped single family homes, built spec homes, had section 8 rentals, and prepared due diligence packages for friends on a commercial scale. 

I saw earlier in one of the forums that it was difficult to get an FHA loan when you own a single family and want to move into a multifamily.

We use Zillow to find finished product in a certain geography, and use TLO to skip trace them and get them on the phone. 

Many of them are potentials as buying agents, but I can try them out on a single property showing, see if our personalities mesh, see how responsive they are and how knowledgeable they are about specific neighborhoods.

We did a complete rehab on a single family and it made sense to add central air.

SF = Single Family Resident

We have decided to begin our journey with a single family house hack or a multi family where we would occupy one the units.  

Are there off the shelf products that are very strong and can suck the order?

I am looking for properties 800-2000 sq ft preferable single story.

You might get through a couple of years without any issues, and then have 1 or 2 in a row that costs you tens of thousands of dollars with every single unit turn.