After reviewing your application, we’ve determined that, unfortunately, we are unable to move forward with your application at this time, as it does not meet our established criteria for income and (other established criteria) We appreciate the time you took to apply and wish you the best of luck in your continued search for a home. 

The background check is supposed to identify the amount of risk, then you determine whether you can mitigate that risk or not.

When you have a duplex and tenants on both sides stay for ten years, it almost guarantees that something isn't right.I would study your market and determine the value of your rental, because I bet you are losing money every month.

I'd also want to know the average loan amount to determine how many more loans are needed to go from today to $5m/month. 

I think another factor here in determining whether its a good investment is your age and your goals. 

This will determine what you have the most joy doing, investing your money should feel fun and exciting, success is suppose to feel good not stressful!

To determine price range, the first step is always figuring our how much you are pre-approved for; and that can vary significantly when you are looking at multi-unit properties because of the additional variable of rental income that can be included in qualifying.

Determine if the area can support new construction.

I'm here on the forum to better understand - how others would navigate a similar scenario.I guess I'm still shopping for the ingredients to determine if there is a 🍞 of bread and if I should even attempt to bake it.

Ask questions and get good at determining motivation and inspecting homes.