5 units will be a commercial loan as far as I know, regardless of you being owner occupier, so you are looking at 20%+ down payment and a higher mortgage rate.Living there will help you mitigate some expenses, but as you point out, you may be trading quality of life.Make sure you really do your due diligence on the numbers AND property itself.Andrew

A highly leveraged investment can show high Cash on Cash returns, but be very vulnerable to small swings in cash flow.

If you're competing in distressed product where equity is traded for peace of mind you're unlikely to get the seller to carry paper.

But it's also a trade-off I'm willing to make.

So I feel good about the trade off.Also, and more importantly, I'm trying to do research for you.

Maybe we can trade experiences.  

. -- Don’t just be a “jack-of-all-trades" 3.

Just know equity is illiquid and still subject to market swings.

A contractor who takes on a larger project and supervises the various individual trades like plumbers and electricians.

To not know your rehab costs, and ARV +/-5k is ballsy in my book. 20-40 is a big swing, and that 20k could be your profit....