That way, her limited funds can go toward her own living expenses. 

@Luis Cerwin as others have stated, Nov - Jan is the worst time of year to have a vacancy.Majority of tenants live paycheck-to-paycheck, so all their income goes to Holiday spending starting with Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then xmas, then NYE.January is also historically the worst month for rent payments due to Holiday Hangover Spending.

The alternative is to go with a single-family home, live in it for about 1.5 years, and then purchase another home while renting out the first one.

This has been my experience and I live in an ultra-competitive market.

That’s the reality of our lives these days.

Quote from @Kyle Barnhart: I live near Phoenix and looking to invest locally.

Do you know anyone that lives there, or did you go to college there?

Another idea for housing economy if you have an office is to rig your office to live in but not sleep in. 

I've been in a co-living mastermind for a year, but I'm curious how you set your business up.

In my area these are rare so they are difficult to set market rent, and I imagine get a lot of wear and tear with a lot of occupants living there.