$8K seems low.  

I kind of feel it's a nice way to get my feet wet and like the low maintenance aspect.

You can purchase 2-4 multi unit under Home possible for primary residence. 3% down payment should be seasoned and rest can be gift.  5% is minimum requirement  for Home Possible. 

Buying this low with cash, it already has equity built in.

Used to be more places but now seems HD and Lowes only game in town.

My advice:1) keep the 10k saved up2) Using a HELOC would be wise because of the low interest rate.

@Jd MartinInteresting to hear you don't buy your own materials - I can certainly see the upside to that.I prefer to buy my own materials when possible (mostly from Lowes as they are the most conveniently located) as I like the perks of that amount of money being put on my account.

Don't invest in Europe.It doesn't work like in the US.Prices are way too high, rents too low, they will tax you to death on rental income(Portugal is 28%, Germany is 40%) and there is red tape from here to Mars.

Brandon and Josh always say, you can usually find a pretty cash flow-friendly area within two hours of any major city.)Lastly, try joining your HOA board, lay low for a while and learn, then see what you can do about lowering HOA fees.

Tax liens are another low-dollar asset in the alternative asset space, but the time invested in finding and acquiring good liens can be significant.