I have no reason to stay in Gilbert, other than it's where my family lives currently, so it's nice to be close. 

Hello, my name is Kyle Hardie and I live in Fairmont MN. 

The property has to be considered 'in service' for you to list it on your tax return.In service entails a couple of items such as1) The property is in livable condition - Working bathroom, kitchen and an area to live.2) The property was advertised for rent.Best of luck

The alternative is to go with a single-family home, live in it for about 1.5 years, and then purchase another home while renting out the first one.

Quote from @Jimmy Rojas: I live in Arizona and homes here are sky high, youd be lucky to get %6 interest rate, I would be a 1st time home buyer, apart from being 1099 employed would Trumps real estate plans benefit the little guys like me? 

and trailer stolen, workshop robbed 3 times, business bank account hacked and Not Insured (w a bank name like C#@$e), hip replacement, Botched oral surgery for sinus cyst 3 times, So Far, that caused an infection that kept me from working most of 2024 and just now recovering.SO Fire Sale February for me But I’m too broke to finish a punchlist to keep rental certificate open on top of living expenses and cover unexpected bills.Seeking micro bridge loan in the $5-10k range to be repaid at sale of house.I have another small single family paid off and rents for $950 as well.Any advice or suggestions for resources Greatly Appreciated 

Now the living room and 2 bedrooms that just had new flooring put in them 8 months ago are ruined from the leaking water from the HVAC and have to be replaced again.

This has been my experience and I live in an ultra-competitive market.

For scaling your portfolio, consider house hacking another multi-family property to minimize living expenses while building equity.

@Hugh Horner I live in the village of Catskill.