The only thing to keep in mind is you need to owner-occupy the property if you buy the property with a VA loan. 2) If you plan on living in one unit self managing would be the best option.

Unfortunately, I now live in Japan and it seems like selling the HI property will attract Japan capital gains tax, regardless of US 1031 exchange rules. 

I talked to Chase, but they don’t offer SBA loans for self-storage; they require the owner to occupy a certain percentage of the building/storage, which is not the case with self-storage.

Hello - I’m interested in brokering hard money loans on investment properties (non owner-occupied SFHs, multifamily, other commercial) but am residing in a state that requires a license.

Looking for owner-occupied homes might narrow your options, but it can help you target a specific group of sellers.

All this summer every booking has been last minute, within a week or so of the stay, so it's obvious to me people are still just sitting on the sidelines looking for the best deals since there's so much supply out there.I think it will start thinning out over the next few years - I've seen a few places in my own community that I know were STRs that have been sold as owner-occupied (hard to make a 4/3 STR work down here when you're paying $450k or more), so as that starts to happen more and the building pushes even further out into the hinterlands I have hope for the future.

You will have more wear-and-tear, simply because someone is occupying the house all of the time.

Roof, sewer lines, condition of commercial space, condition of apartment units, windows, HVAC system.Are storefronts occupied?  

Have you considered purchasing a 1-4 unit as an owner occupied and renting out your current home?

There is no reason to buy your own first for experience purposes - and the fact you already live there makes it 'owner occupied' if you end up going with traditional bank financing - which will give you better rates, and access to more programs.