Yes it's a little onerous to get started, but the guests or a better class than my Airbnb guests for the most part. 

If you know how to make rates of return higher than that, I would say it is better to invest the money than pay down your mortgage early.If you don't know how to do that, then either pay down your mortgage or learn how to improve your investment returns.

I think this arrangement is better than nothing or me taking her to court to only get the land back. 

I can't think of a better syndicator to invest with, frankly.

I suspect the person who originally turned it into a fiveplex only applied for permits to make a fourplex and then did the 5th unit fly by night (perhaps at a later date) in order so the property would still be considered residential and allow for better financing possibilities.

I think the unsuccessful and struggling units who have not jumped ship yet will continue to do so, leading to less supply, increasing demand, and a better year for the successful units. 

I haven't tried others, so I can't tell others are better or worse. 

If not it might be better to wait.

. $40/month off works out much better for the tenant, even though they may not realize it, and it's a killer for the landlord

So instead of living in regret of not buying sooner or waiting for things to magically be better, I figured out how to make it work still.