Quote from @Stephen Nelson: Two random comments but I'll mention because it seems sort of relevant that I used to teach the Choice of Entity class to CPAs and attorneys in the masters in taxation program at the country's big graduate tax school.

This part of town seems to offer more affordable options while still being relatively safe and convenient for students.The goal is to:Provide housing for our daughter and her friends starting January 2026 (spring semester).Structure the purchase as a primary residence, so we can qualify for better mortgage terms.Include myself, my husband, and my daughter on the mortgage application to strengthen our position and meet the owner-occupied requirement.Convert the property to a full rental down the road once she graduates.We think the $30,000 should cover a 5–10% down payment plus closing costs under the primary residence structure, and the property would serve as both a short-term housing solution and a long-term investment.Would love advice from the community on:Does this sound like a smart way to combine student housing with a first-time real estate investment?

It is still listed as our primary residence, but we are not living there during construction.

If your long-term plan is to occupy it as a primary residence, cost seg usually isn’t available, it’s designed for investment property.

A VA loan can only be used for a primary residence, but there are ways to house hack (like buying a small multi-unit, living in one, and renting the others).

In my experience here in FL most banks will only do HELOC on primary residence. 

As a pro user we have access to resident, right?

Investors I work with also benefit from having access to reliable, verified leads, which makes it easier to focus on the right properties rather than chasing random opportunities.  

I'm ashamed to admit, I ended up eating it a few times.Now I do it differently:Move-in: pics, quick video, checklist, both of us sign off. borderline stuff gets noted.Routine checks: not to snoop, just to catch stuff early and have a time-stamped trail.Move-out: side by side with move-in docs—no gray area anymore.I got so tired of juggling random pics/notes/folders that I finally started building a little mobile app for myself to keep it organized.

This has included:*Financial oversight with budgets and bookkeeping, having a finger on the pulse of cashflow and financials*Regular communication with partners (business partner, accountant, contractors and investors)*Implementing weekly sync calls to go over short and long term goals/lists (highly recommend the book Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman on this one)*Strategic planning, focusing on not just the current projects, but looking ahead and having plans in place to maintain momentum*Analysis of each project to determine wins/lessons and use these to continue to improveI think regardless of the business, being intentional versus random and careless certainly makes and impact on progress and scaling.