Rental Market - considering 2-4 unit for primary residence w/ FHA

[Aditya Maini]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to BP and to REI. I'm looking into buying my first 2-4 unit complex and living in a unit while I rent the rest of them out. I don't have a lot of capital for repairs and would be doing a FHA loan (3.5% down). A few questions for those familiar with the local market and multi-units:

• Thoughts on the current rental market, especially with all the new apartments/condos being built in uptown and southend? Good idea to look around center city, or would it be a better bet to stick to the outskirts (concord, east charlotte, etc)? 
• What neighborhoods are good to invest in right now? I have been looking into UNCC area, concord, east charlotte, Gastonia. Since this will be my residence also and I work close to the airport, ideally I don't want to live too far from that. 
•  Any agents that you'd recommend, specifically ones that have experience with rentals and multi-units? 

I have been reading a lot of material and this forum is a huge help! Very thankful for this community!