A little backstory: currently on a two-year lease with a friend, but after everything that is happening (its a long story but I believe the post is on my profile if it interests you) living with her has become pretty drama filled and it seems like she is a helicopter parent with minimal compromises. The lease started August 2019 and will end August 2021. Now I can break the lease if I find another person to rent from me, though she would also probably move out and doesn't have the money for that currently.

My finances: I am turning 25 in two weeks, no health problems. Currently after tax I make around $4300/month. I have a very tight budget and I live off of around $1700 a month. I do not have car payments of student loans. I split my savings into a bunch of different things but I am savings around $1400 a month for a house. I also max out my company match of 6% and max the $6000 I am allowed for Roth IRA. Outside of that I have around $26,000 in cash (emergency fund/house savings), and $85,000 in investments and retirement money. And my credit score is over 800. My plan is to retire at age 45.

So I currently am super stressed and really don't feel like my house and time are my own sometimes. I am a strong willed person so I know that I can deal with it for two years but its not ideal. Currently I have around $20,000 either in stocks or in cash for a house.

Option 1: So my plan was early 2020 to buy a duplex/triplex in a lower income location that is no feasible for me to live at. That I would rent out long term and basically have it pay for itself as well as my rent now. After that I would have a smaller house savings but I would be instead putting away $2200 a month for a house. Once the lease was up on our place currently I would then have anywhere from 26,000 and 40,000. From there I would buy my own place. Negatives are I would have to live in an unsuitable climate for an extra year, but I can do it.

Option 2: Save up until this upcoming August, from there either just buy a duplex in my area (which I would have to put a lower % in terms of a down payment and have less cash-flow). I would have my own place but I would be setting my plan of having more property back. Obviously the numbers here are a bit less thought out, but I would be looking to spend around 400,000 on a place - putting down only 10%. I would rent the other half so I would have my own space but they would be paying the mortgage or a sizable chunk of it.

I would love some advice around which is a better plan. I know I am in a great place for 25, but I do not want to make a mistake and screw up my plans for later in life. Just at the moment my blood pressure spikes every time I am in the house based on the tension and everything. Thanks in advance!