•If jobless claims are low (below 210,000): The labor market remains strong, keeping the Fed in no rush to cut rates.

You can do less than 20% down (as low as 3.5-5%) if you intend to occupy the home for at least a year.2) There will be an HOA (homeowners association) which restricts rentals, so be sure to read the CC&Rs (governing documents) to ensure that your rental strategy is allowed, even if you intend to live there at first, eventually you'll be transitioning it to an investment property, so this will be important.

Assuming you have access to MLS (Multiple Listing Service, a place for agents to list deals).1) Look for deals that look like investor-type of deals (e.g. low purchase price, ugly houses, or sometimes MLS will even say what type of financing it is)2) If the buyer's info is there, voila.  3) Otherwise, contact the realtor to look for leads (that will be more of a uphill battle, but you never know...)

Payout looks pretty low to me.   

You are correct in your assumption that it will impact how low they can go on the down payment, though, b/c commissions will need to be paid out of closing costs. 

It’s a lower risk strategy since you’ll be living in one of the units, and you’ll qualify for low down payment loans.

IE - when you're young and poor (low tax bracket), contribute as much as you can to a Roth. 

They specialized in concrete tilt up, but did a lot of time and materials work for a self made real estate tycoon who owned a lot of Federal Way.Along the way I got my CPA license and practiced in several differing sectors including doing some work with low income housing projects.As far as my start in RE, it was with buying my first personal SFR and later moving to a new residence. 

With your considerable experience and, I'm assuming, strong credit score, you would be well-positioned to receive high leverage and low rates from most private lenders.

@Bonnie Low  How does baselane handle credit card transactions?