We operate a small retail business out of commercial space in the building with the 4 residential units, which pays me a W2 salary and my wife has a part time W2 job at a vet clinic. 

.- Most of the deals that came our way were for 60-70yr old wood frame buildings, that had been owned by their current owner for 25+ yrs, and we felt there was a definite risk that the economic viability of the asset was less than our planned (buy and hold) time horizon, and we were also highly skeptical of the insurability of some of these buildings or that the cost of insurance would not balloon once the ownership transition forced the insurers to reassess the building.Ultimately we pivoted to retail/light commercial mixed use properties.

My favorite option for putting your own business into play is mixed-use which is retail on the bottom usually and residential on the top.

It needed a pretty good amount of repairs in order to make it retail ready.

It's better to sell fewer home for retail than build homes at loss.

the majority of the successful urgent cares in the county are in close proximity to grocery anchored retail centers.

So if you buy and rent out a retail center or an apartment building or increase the existing income the property is going to be worth more and can be refinanced easier.

From what gathered when I spoke to the investor agent I have there, most STR candidates on the retail market were only breaking even.

Plus, its worth noting that no Retail Priced property will be at a number where you're going to get the benefits of investing (cash flow and equity)What is working now is looking for single family with accessory units or mother-in-law suites, or duplexes.

Retail price $20 thru outlets.