Yes, multi-family real estate is a completely different scenario and I have other articles covering this topic (house-hacking). I'm simply referring to what your average American does-they buy a single family home (which is fine). My point is to simply know your numbers and understand the opportunity cost. Multi-family real estate isn't always feasible/readily available in some parts of the country. There's also various seasons of life that need to be accounted for-if you get married and have a child, do you really want to live next door to your tenants/deal with that? Most multi-family real estate isn't in the greatest part of town, and it's a different demographic. When it comes to availability, every market will vary, but Austin's multi-family real estate isn't great. There's a reason why many of the homes sit on the market for extended periods of time. My preference for multi-family real estate is build-to-rent. Less hassle/brand new and the rent goes for the same as class-A apartments.