Buying a single family home... Any words of wisdom?

[Christin Ross]

Hey everyone.  I am a full time Physical Therapist Assistant and an extremely small time buy and hold real estate investor.  I have watched (and helped) my parents for 22 years build and manage multi-family properties.  Five years ago, my husband and I, bought our first home which was a triplex.  Fast forward five years and we now have a 17 month old baby girl and we have totally outgrown this two bedroom apartment.  The other two units are a studio and a four bedroom.  We have thought about moving to the four bedroom but we aren’t too fond of the school district in this area.  We have been looking for other multi families in towns with better school systems, however, what’s on the market is either priced too high or it’s a total gut (which at this phase of our life is too much of a challenge for us).  We are thinking of going the single family route and getting something more comfortable so we can grow our family.  Any words of wisdom in looking for a single family house while still hoping to add a couple investment properties to our portfolio within the next 10 years?  Thanks in advance for your insight.  Sincerely, Christin