Light color makes the rooms seem larger and natural wood looks good.It's tricky to get a really good even stain.

In my opinion, you should only accept Section 8 rentals if you are doing it at scale in the same area and understand the tenancies and the procedures.

5321.16 Procedures for security deposits.

One hard money lender told me they don't do loans of that nature, and I am meeting with a different one tomorrow.Curious if anyone has any solutions.Thanks! 

Supervise them to ensure they stay good, and have policies and procedures in place to nip problems in the bud before they grow into something bigger.If you travel a lot, or don't have a lot of knowledge/experience/time, then you should hire a property manager.

I wonder if other mixed-use landlords have clauses in leases that address the mixed nature.

What kind of taxes he will incur depends on the nature of your "partnering." 

They are by that very nature going to have higher risk based just on that fact alone. 

Is there an easy way to track natural appreciation?

I definitely have some insight on what type of large markets to invest in that are metro in nature that attract not only business travel but also have multiple industries as to keep the overall investing strategy strong.