If we were to find a duplex/triplex/fourplex that met our criteria, I was thinking about maybe owner occupying one of the units in exchange for being able to use the 203k loan - for not only cheaper financing but 3.5% down + being able to include fixup costs in the mortgage.

The expensive home may use better brands which might be slightly more but immaterial in this situataion.Where did you find this information that cheaper homes are likely to give more of a repair credit?

I would say generally, buying already built is cheaper on the mind, stress and time.

Eventually, tried both Digb and Stessa which are setup specifically for real estate out of the box and are cheaper than QBO.

I use wise.com to send money internationally, much cheaper than PayPal...

Knowing you guys were to move out in 5 years, would you go with a 10% dp and a 2-1 buy down and cheaper monthly payments, or 3.5% dp with higher monthly payment, but with more money in the pocket to invest elsewhere?

Also, its much cheaper to send a larger volume of street view postcards or letters using a large printing company than it is to send through deal machine.

It'll add about 80k to the cost but is a much cheaper option that tying up square footage for an indoor pool and dealing with the risk of moisture and mold issues.

Maybe it can be a little cheaper on subsequent deals, if you aren't changing much.Loan apps: while you may be able to have some investor money funded before this is due, you may not.  

For a 1-4 unit in a cheaper cash-flowing market a the costs to refinance are not cheap relative to the equity being pulled out in many/most cases.