I was forced to buy my first house because my roommate moved out and I couldn't afford to live alone.

If you qualify for both (you've lived in the property long enough and it is used for investment when you sell it) then you get to take both.

I'm not sure about the potential for liability in a wrongful death suit if somebody is injured or killed in the fire, but definitely would not want to find out personally, nor would I want to live with that on my conscience.  

Albuquerque is already such a wonderful place to live and do business so I am all for anything that will make it even better.  

I needed to buy my first investment and also needed a place to live.

This not only defers the taxes on the two rental properties but then once they live in the primary residence for at least 2 years that home now qualifies for the Section 121 exclusion on the gain.

I won't be able to make the cottage legal rental without living in the primary home myself.

Complaints are always dicey when you live or have property in a jurisdiction they scan your license plate and have visibility into your property that may negatively impact you in the future.  

@William Taylor so many options...Use your RE knowledge to: WholesaleFind rental deals to sell to investors locally or here on BPStart leveraging your personal contacts to build your sales businessFind a motivated seller willing to do seller financing:- Move in worst room or basement, rent out all the other rooms for max cashflow- You could even live in the basement and STR the rest of the house

I am the first in my family to do REI and my goal is to break the tradition of working for a salary for 40+ yrs only to retire on what I hope will be enough to start living freely.