Start with your objective, not the property typeIf your main goal right now is to improve DTI, lower your housing payment, and build experience, a house hack usually wins.You get into the market with a low down payment, and your tenants help cover the mortgage while you learn the ropes.If your goal is cash flow + a scalable long-term rental model, small multifamily often performs better because the income is more predictable and vacancy impacts you less.2.

I was getting a few from google and other related real estate forms to build my own super comprehensive deal analyzer.

But that’s a gray area and probably not worth fighting over.Most stick to deducting only the clear, defensible items under §1950.5.What to do:Gather invoices for:Water reconnection feeAny charges related to nonpaymentPrepare an itemized deposit statementInclude receipts/documentationMail within 21 days via certified mail or a trackable methodThat protects you and keeps everything compliant.

Resist the urge to chase every shiny new object presented your way to help generate leads.

I’d like to stay within roughly a 2.5-hour drive.So far, I’ve been researching Rancho Cordova in the Sacramento area and it seems promising due to hospital density, government employers, and relatively affordable pricing compared to the Bay.

Rates are still relatively low compared to 20 years ago. 

Coach house > garden unit from a lender’s perspective every time.You already called it out, but it’s worth emphasizing:Garden unit = discount, scrutiny, sometimes zero usable incomeCoach house = fully counted, sometimes even a positive factor in underwritingIf your plan is to rinse and repeat loans, this matters a lot.My take:If the Jefferson Park asset looks solid in person, I’d go that direction.It lines up with your actual stated objective: scalability.If it ends up being mediocre or has big CapEx concerns, then the West Town deal becomes the better long-term hold, but with the understanding that it might slow your next purchase.Either way, you’re clearly evaluating these with the right framework.

Feel free to reach out with anything lending related.

There are self-proclaimed buyer agents but many of them will have as main objective to sell you something.The way I go about it is I look for properties myself and contact the seller agent when interested.

Property Condition & Amenities: it’s important to, “Maintain to the Neighborhood.”Key metrics for each Property Class:Class A Properties:Tenant Pool: Majority of FICO scores 680+, no convictions/evictions in last 7 years.Tenant Default: 0-5% probability of eviction or early lease termination.Section 8: Class A rents are too high and won’t be approved.Vacancies: 5-10%, depending on market conditions.Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Class B Properties:Tenant Pool: Majority of FICO scores 620-680, some blemishes, no convictions/evictions in last 5 years.Tenant Default: 5-10% probability of eviction or early lease termination.Vacancies: 10-15%, depending on market conditions.Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 1-3 years for positive cashflow, balanced amounts of relative rent & value appreciation.Section 8: Class B rents are usually too high for the Section 8 program.Class C Properties:Tenant Pool: Majority of FICO scores 560-620, many blemishes, but should have no convictions/evictions in last 3 years.