If tenants controlled themselves and behaved as they should most would probably be OWNERS not renters.

Probably not a lot of advantage to small MF vs single family so I would stay open to both. 

You've probably heard of big Landlords losing property, but only because they were flagrantly violating Fair Housing, running a slum, or otherwise egregiously violating the law.

That's probably changed. 

If so, there are probably other people like you that would be interested in living there.If you are buying a single family home, almost any town/city will work.  

I think it is probably the most important stat.

You also could probably work with any number of the CPAs on BP who work remotely if you feel comfortable with that.  

In other words, I think we will probably have to be on the hunt for a very good deal or a very distressed property, and will not be investing in million-dollar multifamily properties... yet!

Depending on your loan amount, doing a cash-out refi to get $35k probably isn't worth it. 

@Joshua MartinSince you might sell next year, a HELOC is probably the better short-term option—lower upfront costs and flexibility to pay it off when you sell.