I used to live in the lower mainland but invested where the numbers work like Vancouver Island or Northern BC.

Even if buying a property Subto in GA and you live in FL, you could miss something and the whole deal does a "crash and burn".

Perhaps I have an odd case but I paid $1.35M or $455 / sq ft for a 3,000 sq ft duplex on a 7,000 sq ft lot in Los Feliz.Once I add the ADU complex, which will be around $350K, it will be a quadplex, 4,600 sq ft of living space. 

If it is cluttered buyers will have a harder time visioning themselves living there. 

We are currently living just south of Boston and are looking to purchase a 2-4 unit property in which we would live in one of the units.

Book recommendation #1: Hands Off Investor by @Brian Burke https://store.biggerpockets.com/products/the-hands-off-inves...Book recommendation #2: Lend to Live https://store.biggerpockets.com/products/lend-to-livePodcast Recommendation: PassivePockets podcast is focused on passive investing in syndications - https://passivepockets.com/podcast/Passive investing summit: PassivePockets Summit May 2-3rd in Columbus https://get.biggerpockets.com/passivepocketsevent/I make these recommendations specifically since you mentioned passive real estate investing, and syndications or hard money lending are really the two most passive ways to invest in real estate. 

The person worked for H&R Block, now works for TurboTax Live and is being honest about their skills: NOT QUALIFIED.

First: Can you commit to living there for at least two years?

I assume you want to live in one side of it?

There are no crazy tiles, the countertops don't have aggressive veining, and there are no crazy accent walls in the living room.