If your willing to do so, you can live in the casita and then rent out the main home and have your tenant pay the majority/all of the mortgage (depending on what type of deal you find obviously). 

And I have had two potential opportunities "fall into my lap" that involve inherited properties that need major remodels to be able to compete in the MTR market. 

New construction in a saturated market isn’t always the best play if you’re looking for steady returns.A place like Rochester has way better fundamentals—lower buy-in, strong rent-to-price ratios, and stable demand from universities, hospitals, and major employers.

that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

@Krystal Lozano A good majority of areas still produce day 1 cash flow for multi family in Pittsburgh with a 20-25% down payment.

At this time I manage and renovate majority of all my units to keep cost low but most likely not the best use of my time although I'm skilled at it.

Yes, some immigrants send remittances to their families, but the majority of their earnings are spent locally—on rent, groceries, gas, and other essentials—directly supporting the U.S. economy.

I spent time in the league and have since built my real estate portfolio and started a real estate agency and property management company servicing Indianapolis and its surrounding areas.

that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

As a loose rule of thumb, I have heard a primary residence requires the owner lives there the majority of the time each year (i.e. more than6 months), but a lender should be able to confirm the specific criteria.