This is the sum of all of the sources of gain including not only cash flow and appreciation but also depreciation and amortization of the loan. 

I stopped reading after reading your subject line...know this:The #1 reason why landlords fail is due to their failure to manage to the lease (Source: American Apartment Owners' Assn). 

So the problem is you wont be able to source the down payment as coming from the seller (most likely), but you can certainly add as many junior lienholders as you like, after the fact.

Unfortunately - my current lot for my primary is 1 acre and VERY sloped, and close to a water source (creek), so the county has not even allowed me to permit my downstairs finished basement without an extremely costly renovation to our septic (over $60,000, and that doesn't count demo'ing and replacing our driveway to get to the existing tank and leachfield), and even if I could permit it, it would essentially need to be a treehouse in the redwoods due to the slope (not a bad idea though, I would actually love a livable treehouse on this lot!

Is there a reliable source to get this information from other than agents? 

Going to want to cast a wide net at first and figure out where you can best source your MTR leads from

You can write the best guide but people want information for credible sources so you might want to clarify all of that or it might be an obstacle all along.3.

• Crowd-sourced projects (think Crowdstreet, Fundrise, Roofstock)• Moving into investment for 2 years and sell (seems extreme and low level of confidence in strong desired results.) • BBD - Bulk everything together into one large investment, cash-out refinance, rinse/repeat (seems like ongoing work like we have today.)• NNN - purchase triple net lease opportunity (1031 everything into it, managed under trust, tenant takes care of everything) • Sell each off the normal way (even spreading out one a year, heavy tax implications and truly diminishes decades of work.) • Give/donate each away-----I expect many here have already been through similar dilemmas and interested in experiences, lessons learned.

You and your wife are considering a move to be closer to her parents in Scottsdale.The largest source of liquidity for you is the equity in your home at 1M and you have a 4% mortgage and it will cashflow positive if you rent your home in Seattle.Your question is should your sell your house in Seattle or rent it. 

I bring to the table my full expertise in project management, construction, and deal sourcing, along with the knowledge I’ve gained working tirelessly in this industry over the past 3 years.My vision is to dedicate the next 10-15 years to real estate development, growing projects that generate significant returns while delivering exceptional results.If you’re interested in learning more, I’d love to discuss how we can collaborate.