I also will be experimenting with designing a permaculture system in the backyard, so more than just my financial equity builds.

Also, are rent-to-own properties attractive to the rental/tenant pool in the area? 

I have no experience in REI however, I have been reading/listening to podcasts for the past few months and would like to get started.I am located in Inland Empire of Southern California and this would be my first property.I have looked into house hacking using the FHA 3.5% down, however running numbers found that with just about every property I will still have to pay additional for mortgage - and not really have a house of my own with my own back yard etc.I am now considering purchasing a SFH using FHA 3.5% down with a big enough land/back yard to build 2-3 manufactured / SFH as rental properties.

When you go to sell the single with MIL your buyer pool will be limited and the extra unit that you think so highly of might not be important to the person looking to purchase your home.

Some roadblocks I see are NIMBYism (not in my back yard) due to the social stigma of mobile home parks, zoning laws (which I'm not that familiar with in Los Angeles), and cost of land.I think it might be an attractive investment if it could be done due to low maintenance, low capex, and lower vacancy due to the added costs of moving the home.Thanks!

I looked at a house there with a pool and it had a v nice net basically only renting 225 days/yr. 

The bigger the pool of potential tenants the better the chances you have of picking up some good ones so you don’t have to settle for drug addicts , pedophiles , and various other losers .

Listed for $244,000 1 bedroom Condo recently renovated overlooks the pool area. 

That's me dipping a toe in the kiddie pool...hahahaAnd I'm sure it's all from lack of knowledge!  

All dogs barked in unison as you stepped foot in the backyard (of course when I viewed the house when I made the offer there were no dogs).