When I get outside that margin messy things are going to hit the fan because the deal either isn't going to work, or the buyer will have to bring more money to the table, or the buyer will back out of the deal, or the seller will have to lower their price, or the bank will have to order a 2nd appraisal.If you want the 'honest' appraisal hire your own appraiser.

Unless it was a well-paid, collectable tenant... even then, seems messy and unsure whether I would collect rent if they walk away.

Caleb why not wholesale it and let another investor take all the risk with a deal that has so much "hair" on it.Hair in case you are not familiar is a term for a deal that is very messy with a lot of layers to overcome to make it successful.

.-5 of us have stable jobs, 1 is finishing up law school.We have great trust in each other, but we recognize that things can get messy quickly when mixing friendship and money.  

Thank you Dustin and Brian, I was suspecting that this could be a messy situation but you have confirmed it.

I will be occupying one unit but since the triplex and single family home aren't connected, it gets messy.  

The goal is to buy an apartment (preferably in a poor (cosmetic) condition) , refurbish it during my stay in there, get some external help if needed (I don't mind spending time in a messy environment) and sell it for profit. 

Sorry, the paste looked good on my Mac but mobile is messy.

Will be many years befor the housing shortage mess is cleared up if at all.

Add in Section 8 red tape and bureaucracy and things can turn messy really quickly.