Also, I understand that you can rent by the room house hacking a single family home, but how likely is that?

I’m based in Allentown, PA, and I’m planning to invest in the Lehigh Valley area—most likely by house hacking a 4-unit as my first rental property. 

My wife and I started house hacking last year, and it has been great.

Since you're 2 years out from house hacking and eligible for a VA loan, it's wise to focus on keeping your funds liquid—building your cash reserves should be the priority over locking money into less accessible investments.

People tend to forget that when they try to use kids/pets as the excuse not to house hack. 

My house hacking journey began with a 2 bedroom condo and my investing journey evolved from there.  

I WISH I would have started with a house hack! 

In the house-hack scenario, you jump start your REI because of the low-down-payment "owner occupied" loan in a 2, 3 or 4-unit property.

No, it violates housing codes.

House hacking is a smart first move!