The sweat-equity from improving the duplex allowed me to live rent free for 3 year and make over $30,000 on the sale of the property, mostly tax-free. 

Is it a good idea to let him live rent free in one side of my duplex in exchange for him to complete my rehab?

But with the large population growth from California transplants and being the #2 retirement destination in the US, Phoenix seems like a better long term investment if you ask me. 

It's such a great market with all the transplants moving here (which is likely why it seems challenging to find good deals). 

If the only out of pocket you have for the building is $500 a month and you live rent free that's not bad. 

After months and months of struggles, pushing, tears, and valleys...yesterday my offer was accepted for a house that will produce enough rent for me to live rent-free.

I havent tried looking elsewhere for my needs, but two things that I've noticed about the Sacramento market is that we are seeing a lot of Bay Area transplants trying to get away from the high cost of housing, and Sacramento's housing market seems to be going up exponentially, so it seems lik e a great long term buy-and-hold situation, based on location and market values of homes and rents.

@Lashawn McCauley my phone still rings constantly with people who want to live, rent, invest or who are just curious about Newark.

And there are NO bad neighborhoods in West Dearborn.Ask most people in the metro area where they prefer to live, rent or buy a home, West Dearborn or Pontiac.

Your legal choices are to evict him or allow him to live rent free (as he gets farther and farther behind).