How does house hacking a 2-4 family work?

House hacking a 2-4 family means buying a property with two to four legal units, living in one of them, and renting the rest, which typically qualifies for owner-occupant financing with a lower down payment than a pure investment purchase would need. The rental income from the other units offsets some or all of your mortgage payment. Brian can point you toward towns in his coverage area where legal multi-unit zoning actually allows this.