what makes it better than other strategies?

Reduced Living Costs:House hacking allowed me to live in a larger or more desirable property than I could afford at the time solely on my income.

So you have a single family dwelling.If your duplex is the only one in the area it is more desirable in that setting than if it were in a neighborhood of duplexes.

Of course the bank says "no problem", I start the process etc, then after credit pull and everything state "thing's have changed and you cannot own more than 3 investment properties" so now I'm at a standstill and they want to push me to commercial side, which in this case is requiring them to take my first and have to refi the balance and lose my rate and then tap a HELOC afterwards at commercial terms.

I'm more worried about keeping my former neighbors happy than I am about getting an extra $100-200/mo.

Horseback riding and jet skiing are perfect for blowing off steam after a busy day in real estate.

They tend to appreciate a bit less but cash flow well.

I am in the process of buying a home now- that is probably easier to set up than moving my existing homes into an LLC.... one thing at a time..

What I am looking for in a property may be very different than what you are looking for.

It's going to be harder than you think and take longer than you expect.