That way you can put less down (as mentioned in other posts) live "rent free" in one property and in two years do it again OR in year two buy another multi family with 20-25% down.

Quote from @Joe Grespin: Too many investors and lenders hold off waiting for “ideal” lending conditions, but in real estate, speed and relationships often beat timing the market.

I am also 19 years old and live rent free with my parents.

(Bad spending habits during college) Only 10k for a down payment which wouldn't get very far most places let alone Hawai’i I have a full time job and a part time that really only bring in a little under 4k a month and planning on getting a better paying job in a month to bring it up to about 4,500 a month (still not a lot) I currently live rent free and have no other debt which is wonderful so saving is my current goal however the spot I live in isn't a permanent arrangement and am expected to move out at the end of the year  my original idea was to try and buy a small live and flip apartment that id do myself for the easy stuff (not electric and plumbing lol) and go from there but because of my location, there's nothing affordable for me and leaves me stumped with my next, technically first step toward ownership  any insight or help on a good first step would be greatly appreciated 

House hacking seems to be a good way to live rent free until you start to build equity and lower monthly costs overtime.

I strongly recommend house hacking because you get to live rent-free while learning so much about being a landlord and how to start investing yourself.

The local market in Austin continues to find its footing in April 2025. There were 13,351 homes actively listed, nearly 20% more than this time last year and a solid jump from March. The median sales price held steady...

We freaked out and quickly began searching for a new place to live (rent). 

My breakthrough moment was realizing that having tenants on one side could cover most of my monthly payments, allowing me to live rent-free.

Around the same time, I faced a serious health crisis that led to a liver transplant and ultimately bankruptcy.Now, I’m ready to get back into the game—this time with all the hard lessons I’ve learned.