If you're looking at 5+ units, you want to compare across cap rates (NOI / purchase price) and opportunities to add value, increase rents, and decrease expenses. 

This allowed us to give BETTER pricing to our investors, as our hold times decreased. 

B) you need to decrease the basis of the property by the insurance proceeds, and loss you claimed. ( combined this equals replacement cost) .Second step is related to the basis-adjustment  of the property: A) As for repairs, for the repairs that have been done so far, you can add that to the basis of the property and start depreciating it. 

It decreases after each year but the point of a USDA loan is to live in it as your primary residence.

You're going to be doing this together, sounds like he knows what he is doing but you'll be doing the muscle work.

I would say if you found a property that had the size and similar amenities of where you currently live you(or at least not a substantial decrease), there would be little issue.

It just needs to be understood that doing anything other than ignoring the cancer & anything going on in the tenant's life will decrease the profitability of the business.

I live in a fairly expensive area and my all in budget on a month to month basis is around 2000 a month.The quickest way to increase your savings is to increase your pay and decrease your spending.

Has anyone been successful with decreasing cost of building using economies of scale in prefab homes?

There are some pretty interesting terms to these types of loans....as in, if your fund would decrease in value, you would owe the difference of 50% immediately, so if you are in this type of scenario then do ask about all the terms and conditions for this type of a loan product with your bank.