Quote from @Jacob Guereca: Recently, things have started to gain real traction for my General Contracting and Electrical, There’s nothing I wouldn’t sacrifice to protect this opportunity.

I will fall on my sword here to say it's the easiest and most forgiving strategy to get into when you're starting, and if you're young and willing to sacrifice, it will 100% be worth it. 

@Robel Nessro Sacrifice, live below your means, save 3-20% for DP (cash, PM, partner), buy a 4-plex with a conventional loan, house-hack, self manage, cut your housing costs in half, and start the REI journey.Own the 4-plex for at least 5 years, graduate, get a real job in DC (keep it), get a job OOS (probably sell). 

I’m willing to sacrifice lifestyle now to set myself up for the future.Here are some details about my situation and questions I’d love feedback on:Finances:Current salary ~$70K, plus some side income from a part-time job ($10–15K/year).Plan to max out my Roth IRA and invest in my 457 retirement plan, but also set aside most of my money for real estate.Currently saving aggressively (shooting for $30–45K by next year).

Areas with diverse employment bases, universities, or consistent population growth often give you that combo of stable cash flow plus moderate appreciation over time.Are you leaning more toward maximizing monthly cash flow right now, or would you prefer to sacrifice a little of that for stronger appreciation potential in the long run?

You have to sacrifice years of your life. 

I’m willing to sacrifice lifestyle now to set myself up for the future.Here are some details about my situation and questions I’d love feedback on:Finances:Current salary ~$70K, plus some side income from a part-time job ($10–15K/year).Plan to max out my Roth IRA and invest in my 457 retirement plan, but also set aside most of my money for real estate.Currently saving aggressively (shooting for $30–45K by next year).

People will sacrifice everything else in the name of CoC and that's a huge mistake, just takes a few years before they realize it.

Should I sacrifice the dishwasher for a full range or will the cooktop + dishwasher be better?  

So it feels like it's always a choice of what you have to sacrifice to use an "almost" all-in-1.