Single families are generally more desirable for tenants & you also get longer staying tenants most of the time. 

Usually you're going to have to invest some front-end money to survey it out and work with an engineer to figure out what's possible (generally the more lots the better) based on your existing access to infrastructure, the desirability of the area, zoning rules, etc. 

- Design language (this has differentiated my home in Massachusetts though tastes differ and not all markets are as high earning as Mass)- Do you typically work with the same contractors, electricians, etc or have a network?

Maybe we could combine our desire for a meetup in the Huntington area work on getting people to attend together.

To beat 5.25% mortgage rate....the corresponding, offsetting stock market return would be at least double that...To answer your question requires (1) knowing what risk adjusted return you will be able to earn in the future (2) knowing what interest rates will do in the future.  

Desirable location both locally and regionally.6.  

A private lender is optimal (so you don't have to use all of your cash and can scale easier if desired) because you may not have to jump through as many hoops.

Generally speaking, if you borrow money at 7% interest and your investment is earning a 10% return, 10% - 7% = 3% and you are not growing faster than inflation.

My point is cash flow is only one source of return on RE and in my opinion the least desired because it gets taxed annually.  

Someone trying to earn 4-5% return they could get from a bank cd?