Some are basically affordable housing and some are vacation type rentals.

Basic staging with an agent usually means they give you insight into how you should:Declutter and depersonalize by removing photos and personal itemsArrange your furniture to improve the room’s flow and make it feel biggerAdd plants, move art, or re-arrange other accessoriesFull-service staging is another option if your house needs more hands-on attention.

Isn't it unlikely that a homeowner who cant afford a 2-3k tax bill would even challenge this legally?

@Kash Tacke I'm a big fan of ADU's in general especially here in the mid west, yes you could potentially be on the front of the wave, but housing density is the solution to the affordability issue, anytime you are investing with affordability in mind is a great strategy to me, and sound like there are some incentives or at least supporting winds form the local city, that in itself seems like it would be worth at least approaching an architect or contractor to bid up some plans or concepts to take tot he city.  

If she is worried about her gas bill, she apparently can't afford to live in this unit.

Hyattsville and surrounding areas are more affordable than other parts of the metro. 

I can't really afford to pay two mortgages.

I just can't accept such a constant ever increasing loss, even if I can afford it. 

If you're open to expanding your search, Columbus OH also has positive cash flowing deals at an affordable price point - $120k-$180k. 

We’ve seen this issue cause otherwise wonderful new builds to sit on the market because it just doesn’t work with peoples furniture.