I just found out today that she probably left the property on Feb 18th or so.

Instead of putting energy into trying to make her see things my way, I instead focused on communication around what I was doing and how it was going to help our family reach our big goals.Fast Forward to today, my wife is now very interested in one of our longer term REI goals which is to own and operate a family lake-house.

I heard a story today of a condo owner whose entire complex was lost.

I would tell people today that if you buy a primary residence expect to stay in that home for atleast five years, especially with a FHA loan which has lower down payment as the current forecasts for home appreciation or very low which with closing costs on the buy and sell, it will take several years to have equity in the property and enough to be able to sell, so that is something also to consider.

You can also think about a strategy that combines a house hack with a "live-in flip" where maybe the duplex isn't in a condition where you would want to live with your family when you purchase it, but you could do value-add renovations that improve your families day-to-day living but also the value and rental income for when you all move to the next property or sell. 

More and more people are working with remote tax accountants, with the amazing technology we have today why not work with someone your feel comfortable with from the comfort of your own home ?

That said, with today's rates, every increment of extra mortgage is way costlier than it was four years ago during the sub-3%-rate Covid days. 

Then again, I feel the same way about most rentals in today's market.  

In a world of constant inflation, maintaining your lifestyle over time requires an income that meets four key criteria:Rent Growth Must Outpace InflationIf a basket of goods costs $100 today, in ten years, with 5% annual inflation, that basket will cost $162.

That's why a 1/1-- and I am assuming that's a condo with HOA--- may make "sense" today but there's much better way to employ capital.As for how I evaluate a STR--much like I evaluate a LTR.