According to Edith Reads, a professional investment writer, stock trader, and personal finance coach, “For one, it’s a great way to live rent-free or for very cheap.

Something that you can get into with FHA or VA primary residence financing with 3.5% down (gifts from relatives can assist with down payments here too), and have the other tenants pay your mortgage so you live rent free and possibly even make some on the top.  

You would live in one unit and rent the other out to a tenant to pay the mortgage and ideally live rent-free, depending on the market on location. 

I think the continued population decline will eventually catch up to the state and balance out the ridiculous regulation keeping supply artificially low.Being a real estate agent in Nashville, I have helped a lot of California transplants move here.

I know i have got a bit lucky but i also eat, sleep, live real estate ..

You don't rob a liquor store because it kills your liver. 

I am a Chattanooga, TN transplant from Ohio.

I thought, "wow, Jim was lucky he got his money back; I would never let someone live rent free for 2 years."  

If you're lucky, it may just need a capacitor or fan motor replacement (sub-$1,000 repair, potentially far less).To put things into a rough analogy (I'm not in the medical field either, so apologies if this is nonsensical from your viewpoint): Before getting a heart transplant, I'd at least make an effort to unclog the arteries beforehand.

I am a SF Bay Area transplant who moved to Greenville SC 9 years ago and loves it.