As you move up the price chart there are just fewer and fewer renters. 

The biggest reason I would advocate for mixed use is for the reasons you mentioned, the leases are longer, but also the general "issues" around tenants on the residential side don't come into play as much or at all. 

Its a 12 unit building so lets say 2 persons per unit . 60x2=120 a day per unit 120 x 12 units = 1440 gallons Depending on area lets round it up to an even 2000 gallons . 

Pro Tip: Ask an insurance agent what your rate will be before you make that offer.

I am patient and can wait for the right deal to come along. 

If you are looking to expand your knowledge I highly recommend the webinars BP offers. 

Be careful about the advice of others when it comes to your RE investing future. 

For example, Columbus or Huntsville, AL has come up a bunch of times but I’d have to transfer.4.

One thing you will want to explore is the tax rate in the specific counties you are looking in.

I am not able to take equity out of my condo because it is currently on the blacklist due to HOA fixing the roofing and a Fannie Mae rule stating, if more then 50% of the condos in that community are owned by investors, I may not be able to refi.