That is speculating and not investing.Numbers work going in and the rest is icing on the cake if it happens and if not you hit your goals anyway.It seems the primary reason you are buying is for a home for the family to live in so the investment portion seems like a much less important detail than the emotional component from what you have said so far.Maybe just view this property as a happy family home purchase and then if you like the area once you live there look around for properties where you buy just off of investment from the additional cash flow with the low mortgage payment.

The property class I'll be focusing on is in the B range, which will allow me to see some cash flow with the opportunity for appreciation (certainly not speculating but at the same time, my focus is not to invest in homes that are strictly cash flow plays).

TBH I don't have a cap rate for the home now, so I can't forecast an ARV cap rate, which makes it hard for me to speculate on the ARV.

Might turn out to be a pretty nice block, but that is speculation.

(though it will surely change overtime)  Once you have done that, I would suggest that you geek-out on learning your market.Although history shows that RE will appreciate over time, speculating and counting on appreciation can be a dangerous strategy.

The math on SFHs simply does not add up unless you are speculating in a very high appreciation market.

There's another group also, called Speculators (read: gamblers).Why WOULDN'T Banks target these two groups of golden geese?

You must wake up every morning and work, just like speculators (flippers) who must shrug her the cow and then go find another cow each time they want to eat.

We actually just sold the condo we had for the same reasons.I think in your second post too that you're speculating a little bit - that the market will be higher in two years than it will now.

You can't afford this under any circumstances that do not include speculation on rental income and future appreciation of your departing residence.