Multifamily is considered residential since people reside in the structure. it's part of contractors license law, our testing is on it and violating can and will result in punitive actions.

Many of the neighborhoods which intersect with downtown are experiencing waves of new residents looking to join in on the action. 

,I have sold and been managing properties that are near the MIA and haven't had any complaints from residents who are living in them.

In most cases, I don't recommend renting out your primary residence especially if you have no rental experience and that is because usually your primary residence was bought without the idea of renting it out.  

I was just looking into this, and it seems that Oakland will only allow ADUs on properties with a single family residence (not multi-unit properties). 

My plan was to keep the condo as my residence, but after a year, refinance to fund a down payment on a multi-family property, either out of state or in the surrounding NY area.

my condolences on your recent lost.there are a few ways you can do this, as mentioned above you can take a heloc on your primary residence which will give you a second mortgage, first mortgage payment wont be impacted. you can do cash out refinance which will give you one mortgage and payment. it will pay the old mortgage and give you money in your pocket to pay for the rehab.or you can do a renovation refinance which is similar to cash out refinance but we would contractor involved  as part of the refinancing and they are paid through the loan

Just be sure to clarify that she isn’t a leaseholder but is authorized to reside in the unit.If you’re concerned about liability or want more peace of mind, you could ask the primary applicant for additional security, such as a higher deposit, depending on what’s allowed under Colorado law. 

I just completed an exchange of a single family residence in Scottsdale to a single family residence in Durango, Colorado. 

I have my eye on a large single-family residence in Bethlehem, PA, but I have yet to acquire financing.