The law here says eviction is a public interest issue (of course it is!!!) So

As far as advising your parents to leverage the equity in the properties to acquire more deals, I would leave that to a professional familiar with the local market conditions and residential investment experience.

We see a tightening or restricting of coverage, higher deductibles, more tedious underwriting requirements, and increasing rates.As far as deductibles specifically, it really depends where you are in the country. 

When you go to sell, Montvale requires a certificate of occupancy so this issue has to be resolved in advance of a sale.Although I am not a lender, I assume you will not be approved for an owner-occupied mortgage on 5-units if it is a legal 4-unit without some type of mortgage fraud whether in reported rents, units, or another legal document or representation (very very large issue from a legal perspective with multiple arrests in the last year for anyone playing fast and loose).As far as the DCA, I would recommend coordinating your work with the city with the DCA.

As far as rates I see them declining slower than expected but lowering nonetheless. 

We are General Contractors and part of why my cost for the conversion is so low is because we have the resources to pay at cost and the property is located in a county with lower labor costs than other parts of California.

As far as Colorado Springs you can definitely manage a rental from a far.

The part about getting out of your own way is so true, especially with managing subcontractors.

Here is my experience, and what I regret: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/922/topics/1133476-hous...As far as analysis, house hacking has a different metric in my opinion. 

And then, the proof is in the pudding as far as what interests us, real estate.