Of course, we all know it is a fact that unless people consciously change their spending behaviors, they will always spend their excess, be it $100 or $1000 (see The millionaire nextdoor).

For new investors looking to make a splash in the real estate industry, especially in the younger newcomers from what I have seen, delving into the realm of tiny homes presents a unique chance to combine innovation, affordability, and environmental consciousness all while documenting the process to share across their own social media accounts collecting thousands of followers and views that on their own become yet another source of income. 

Do your own due diligence.The first thing you need after you are getting serious about this property is a Phase 1 Environmental Study.  

The DD process includes, but is not limited to, having a soils engineer prepare a soils analysis, an environmental engineer prepare a Phase 1 environmental report, market studies, title review, legal review, and zoning review.

The downside is their fees are pretty high including environmental studies, commercial type appraisals and their bank attorney fees.  

An overly simplified way(not as simple; will take months and money) is to: Get a general contractor to create a budget and building plan; work on getting permits; get environmental done, re-zone if need be/possible; feasibility study; see how much cash you will have to deploy and then seek lenders for lending offers.There are way more steps but at a minimum these are some .Since you are looking to build,A bridge loan(interest only)/private money loan for a storage unit or a ground up construction project.

Wildfires and air quality aside, Portland and the west coast take climate change and environmental regulations more seriously than other parts of the country. 

Looking at Zoning & Codes for: setbacks, easements, egress, accessibility, max height, max density, max open space, parking, site access, traffic access, utility location, environmental impacts, green building strategies, site orientation, optimal MEP systems locations...

On all our DST properties, we conduct/review lease audits, environmental reports, insurance audits, building inspections, economic/demographic surveys, and we send someone to conduct onsite inspections.

Hi Brad, Auto Repair businesses tend to freak lenders out for the perceived potential environmental issues associated with some of the activities that you have to do in your normal course of business.