One plumbing issue and your entire year is wiped out on that unit.

The duplex / house hacking thing could work but what happens if there is an issue with a tenant , eviction or a bunch of damage to unit or a big ticket item needs to be replaced just seems to risky .Working on the getting a higher paying job or income should be a priority right now I'd say .I know Dave Ramsey brings this up pretty often .

There are a lot of zoning issues that come with it.

The issue you are concerned with doesn't come up a lot.

He stated that if we get the septic system issue resolved, he will not tamper with the fence or the land on the other side of it.

I feel it is a minor issue having dealt with it personally before and thinking little of it. 

The biggest issue (aside from the down payment) lol is the liquor store.

@Mike Flora, sorry this got lost in the shuffle till @Dave Toelkes kind shout out.First issue - You have to  purchase at least as much as you sell if you want to avoid all tax.

I'd need to know more about how old the building is, what neighborhood it's in, etc, to give you a precise picture, but here are some issues.1) You don't include any cost for utilities.

I have a tenant up stairs who is happy that I’m intative to any issues that comes up like her water tank that kicked the bucket she only had to wait 24hrs before it was up and running.