But I wouldn't even have considered Lagos or Portugal had it not been for my initial conversations with Ronan. 

Also I think you should make the right purchases by keeping your initial budget conservative and you should concentrate on numbers rather than hype.Good luck!

In virtually all markets the days of purchasing a rent ready property at retail off the MLS is not going to save the house hacker money in the initial years.

Renovate → Rent → Refinance:In either scenario, a cash-out refinance can be done after improving the property to recover part or all of your initial investment (subject to appraisal).

I’ll take any initial advice this community is willing to share.

I did receive some pings on the side when I sent my initial post and I'll be reaching out to people that responded to confirm you're still in and shoot you a Zoom link.

This initial project will make you feel more confident about handling small multifamily places.

This is because the best cash flow it typically on the properties with the lowest appreciation and rent growth outlooks.Give me a quality market for a long hold over initial cash flow every time.  

That's always my least favorite part of taking on a new managed property is going through what is needed with the owner, because it's always expensive and they're always under-equipped.After the initial setup it's the same. 

Use your initial purchases as case studies of how you can effectively manage their money and expectations responsibly.