Primary markets will continue to hold their value though tough to make them cash flow.

You can also HELOC your primary residence or RELOC the orange county property and transition that into cashflowing assets.

As a general rule of thumb if the property has a ground level commercial requirement in order to show sufficient hardship to seek a residential use change the property should be located in a location that is not conducive to commercial use i.e residential street, close but not as marketable as properties located on neighborhood's primary commercial corridor etc. 

And the cheapest capital comes from traditional lenders, who will want good credit score and financial wherewithal from the borrower.  

VA loans, like FHA and USDA, can only be for primary residence purposes.

Saying you want to eventually "get out of Section 8" is akin to saying you want to eventually "get out of renting to [insert a traditionally marginalized race/ethnicity/religion]"

Thanks for any help’ Yes we're licensed there and FHA guides in one state apply to all states unless a state has a specific law that supercedes the FHA lending guideline.FHA is always 3.5% down minimum (in some cases less because you're using a DPA or down payment assistance program or 2nd lender to put down over all a lower down payment than 3.5%, Aka for instance 3.5% DPA + 96.5% FHA = 100% financing but just dont kid yourself this is fully 100% leverage and to be used with caution and carefully).In the case of 2-4 unit FHA is still 3.5% down payment @Matthew Kwan @Carlos ValenciaThere are rules regarding FHA such as:- primary residence - you must occupy one of the 2-4 unit property as your primary over 50% of the year and the underwriter needs to believe you will remain and have the ability to live in there, any deviation from this and you'll get a whole laundry list of conditions asking you to prove why you should be believed to be living or will live there (if this arises dont be surprised, it just means the UW doesnt believe you).- SS rule - self sufficiency rule - gross rents of all potential units 2-4  X gross rents at 75% needs to meet 1:1 or 100% of the monthly PITIA payment or greater.

You may qualify and make it your primary for two years before moving to the next. 

My primary focus is on Wholesaling and Rehabbing in NJ and PA area.I’m eager to learn more about strategies, best practices, and the challenges of real estate investing, especially from those with experience or breaking into the market.

It was our primary a few years ago and we decided to sell so we could escape the capital gains tax.