@Jaylin WarnerYou're thinking the right way by prioritizing a manageable mortgage and aiming for house hacking—it’s a smart first move.

At least in today's market where the cash flow gap between the lower end and higher end areas has shrunk compared to what it used to be so you will want to focus more on appreciation/rent growth and loan paydown on the house hacks IMO.

@Jaypee PauThat 100% financing option sounds like a great way to get into house hacking with low upfront costs—especially if you’ve got solid income and a 620+ credit score.

Welcome to BiggerPockets Tanisha and best of luck house hacking!

@Ian CiborowskiHey Ian, you're on a solid path—house hacking a 2–4 unit in the Chicagoland area is a smart first move.

House hacking is a smart first move! 

hi everyone,my name is Chris, I dabbled in wholesaling for years but never made any money with it lol, but yeah i started working full time a few months ago (long story) at a solid IT job at a local hospital, and got pre approved the other day,i have a realtor im working with from Zillow and im starting the search for a househack in Sarasota, LWR area, ideally i would like a 4/3 but ill settle with a 3/3 (i know this is going to be challenging to come across due to my budget, but thats my criteria), the plan is to rent rooms out, the issue ill probably run into is HOA rules, mainly not being able to rent out by the room in LWR HOA's,im not a complete newbie when it comes to REI, but im also not a expert in it either, if anyone has any tips or advice, id be very open to hearing it!

House hacking in Cypress or Katy is a smart move—those areas are growing fast, have strong rental demand, and offer relatively affordable multifamily properties compared to California.

Hey Sanford, welcome to BiggerPockets and the exciting world of house hacking!

Everything you are going to learn on this one is going more than make up for waiting for the “Right Deal”.Though that low money down looks pretty attractive!