The issue was her history of not taking care of herself vis a vis medications etc. 

Depending on what your investment strategy you may need to be able to write checks, send wire transfers, get cashier's check, pay expenses using VISA or MC debit card, etc.

personal choice most rentals are bought at or above market.. especially if they are out of state investors.5 to 8 years ago the vendors I funded who sold turnkey would advertise instant equity etc.. and that was generally true vis a vi a rate and term refi..

A few things to note, I will be house hacking the duplex, the duplex isn't in my name, it's in my fiancee's name, and the card was initially opened as a sole proprietorship for some property management/repair work I've done.

My fiancee and I have been "driving for dollars" and have been sending out mailers to properties that look neglected and/or just kind of look like crap compared to the neighborhoods they are in.

I recently arrived in the US, on a visa.

you don't want to turn your primary and its take free equity into a rental .. the tax free sale of a primary is the number one best tax treatment in my mind.. if you want to move on sell it take your money tax free then go shopping for rentals or house hack or whatever.now if there has been no run up in value that creates a tax free situation vis a vi equity.. then probably does not matter

My fiancee’s contract is over in June and our lease ends in July, so we think to make the house hacking work, we’d have to wait until at least the end of March (or whenever one person gets a job) to get pre-approved and start putting offers multifamilies.  

I knew I would be moving to California sometime; but did not know when visas would be issued etc.

Barak Maimon Go for EB-5 or L3 visa and you can have your visa with SSN.