May require some patience, but trust me, this stuff is not easy for some people to follow... 

If house hacking isn't the best option for me, how would you recommend starting out to build up some investments.

I’d recommend starting with rental arbitrage to get your feet wet and generate some positive cash flow.While I haven’t personally done rental arbitrage, some of my employees have, and they found it to be profitable.However, as a long-term strategy, you’re essentially building your castle on someone else’s land.

It's easy to obtain, costs very little, and doesn't require extra, on-going effort to maintain. 

Being able to use real estate to offset taxable income requires some sort of participation on his end.If he wants you to be the boots on the ground, it will likely be hard for him to reduce his taxable income.

Looking to build a multifamily apartment portfolio in Tucson and Phoenix MSA

Quote from @Jimmy Sont: I'm looking to build around 700 sq ft 2 bed / 2 bath guest house primarily used for short to mid term rentals.

I purchased my first rental property a month ago and I’ve learned more about real estate and home building in that one month than the rest of my life combined.

A/C is not required in Texas as well. 

Do to the state mandates that require 100% reserves in all categories, combined with the rising cost of their neighborhood insurance policy, my strong recommendation is you find out what further anticipated spikes in association dues & if any possible special assessments are looming.