Also, the credits are "use them or lose them" - meaning, if you pay $12k a month for a 100,000 skips, then you have to use them all that month.

I'd recommend looking at costs. your build cost is going to be well over other homes because of the fixed costs like slab, Hvac, roof, etc. check the market drivers and weight the benefits of short term versus long term. long term is no furniture and help pays mortgage but at this size it doesn't really cover everything. we didn't find a lot of economies of scale in single family detached. can you build more than one unit?

However, with the rates and conditions of any triplexes and fourplexes we could find (we did find one, but it's in the Pendleton Heights suburb of KCMO, so we were worried about it being too dangerous of an area), we were wondering if it's worth it to buy a duplex and rent out the other half to help pay the mortgage, or if it's more worthwhile to rent an apartment and try to save up to buy a residential or commercial MFH later?

Trans union missed an obvious reject candidate and now I’m paying the price.

Anyone over 18 fills out has to furnish their social security and driver's license numbers, and pays a fee for a credit / background check.

So I was paying under the market rent to live in the property, then moved out and rented my unit and it’s cash flow positive.

I would only use the heloc if you plan on cashout refinancing one of the properties to pay it off once the rehab is complete. 

Quote from @Jake Handler: For anyone that has been a buyer or seller of a seller finance property, what method of payment and tracking did you use for buyer to pay seller monthly? 

I think I'll have to wait 2-3 years to pay for the renovation unless I take out a loan for the shower renovation.

Quote from @Leeling Chew: It doesn't matter who pays the bills.