Philly can be a great place to house hack with the low(ish) home prices for a major city in the northeast.

Surface renovations, with no mechanical updates or major issues will cost me 50k minimum.Now that 2% will often be stale MLS listings, that I feel I can get significantly below current list price.  

If I am in Portland, I could house hack a property to live in during the summer but my understanding is that I wouldn’t qualify for an owner-occupied FHA loan since I would not live in the property for the majority of the following year due to school.Is there a workaround to this problem (such as partnering with another investor who would live in the property for a year)?

After all, you'll have to share it with the rest of your co-owners.You have to vote on most major decisions. 

I don't know where you are, but the majority of the country is seeing double-digit increases in rent rates and demand is high.

Have you used VA to do the majority of this work?

What's your college major?

A major plus if the lender does blanket loans. 

Houses that need major renovations need way more than cosmetic updates and take longer/cost more to complete.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a place in Tallahassee when I can buy used appliances (Stove) that is in "like new" conditions for one of my units. looking for items where they may have a small scratch, or was an open box from a major store etc.