.- lower turnover- easier on the units when they do move- quiet and less disturbance than traditional, younger- for fixed income, consider partnering with the local housing authority for SEct 8 vouchers, then raise rents accordingly - guaranteed money & the Sr. only pays a portion (if they qualify)Traditional renters- Higher turnover- Higher turn costs- More volatile - higher bad debt- More drug related activities- Adding in children that are hard on units- Higher eviction rates and legal costsConsider all angles before making a decision with the changes. 

Just started reading about rehab costs and it’s a ton of information to take in.

Thai could end up costing you more in taxes.

For investment properties you should be using private/hard money lenders, but if it's a primary or you have a long window of time to secure the financing then traditional may be the way.Overall, it should be easier to get approved via creative financing though as there are options and workarounds for nearly every scenario (they just may cost more the more creative you need to get).

I guess it comes down to whether or not I can save for both - down payment and costs for my personal residence as well as an investment property.

Add 10% to costs for misc items to come up.

Can try to reposition to Class B, but neighborhood may impede these efforts.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, but 15-20% should be used to also cover tenant nonpayment, eviction costs & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores of 560-620, many blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 2 years.

For those that have already spent some time and $$$ there, what are your experiences and numbers looking like for things such as:Rental/property management feesclosing costs (as percent of transaction)vacancy rates (on and off season)price to rent ratioyoy appreciation$/sqft to build (I know, this is a "it depends" number)Utility issues (water, power, trash, septic, etc.)Anything else that you think would be helpful!

Or is it considered a price reduction, lowering your cost basis in the property?

I'll handle rehab cost, management and yearly expenses etc...and would like to build a nation wide company consisting of low income-luxury buy and holds, fix and flips, commercial, development and eventually branch out to vacation rentals as well.