I took them home clean them up and reused them, once those ran out I stole the signs that were out on a Sunday night, cleaned off the permanent marker with rubbing alcohol and reused them.

I'm no expert, but it looks like it really depends on the year it was built and how many units are in the building.Mine, for example, is half a duplex built in 1980, so I need to have at least one electric powered Smoke Alarm, permanently wired, in the sleeping area, which was already done at the time of construction (located in the hallway just outside the bedrooms).

@Brian Gibbons , Thanks for the Prospecting Home Sellers video..I'll add it to my rotation...You stuff is invaluable along with you posts...Much of the information on your posts I know but some little tidbit always pops up I wasn't aware of or didn't consider...So with that in mind I always save them to my BP permanent folder on my laptop..Thanks for What You Do...

My partner, who will co-sign the loan, will be living in the unit permanently and will also act as the property manager.  

My partner, who will co-sign the loan, will be living in the unit permanently and will also act as the property manager.

There are many bank and  non traditional bank lenders who will refi a short term purchase and rehab loan with a permanent vehicle.

PMI does not have to be permanent.

From there you can look for other properties, or keep repeating the process to build up a solid portfolio before moving into a permanent house with your family.  

Ideally I would like to buy a cheaper house, fix it up and live there while we find a more permanent home.

The ability to lock in some gain on a permanent tax-free strategy is huge.