Maybe some want to save their money and live in ok apartments/homes.

HI Stephanie,You can always start off by house hacking meaning you live in one UNIT or ROOM and renting out the other vacant units/rooms to offset your monthly mortgage payment.There are several ways to run and make sure you are maximizing your rental income while keeping your living expense as low as possible.

That conversion will not trigger any tax.Unfortunately we can no longer eliminate all of the tax simply by converting to a new primary and living there. 

Both units previously had family living in them.

We have a long-term tenant who has recently started having a guest live with them.

But am wondering if there is already a quality reservoir of information out there that folks are familiar with.Hi Arjun, I am from Colombia, and I have invested in real state over there, however I have lived the last 6 years in Spain, I exactly arrived when the economic recession started :/ However, living in the South of Spain (La costa del Sol , Andalusia) and observing how the prices have tragically decreased through the years I have finally decided to get into the business here,..

two different flavors.https://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investing/house-ha...https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/live-in-flip

I always visit multi-unit properties during the nighttime and weekends to see what type people live in the neighborhood and in the properties I am considering to purchase.

Giving reduced rent to someone who will be enjoyable to live with while treating you and your space with respect is worth it.

I find that the market rents in Cleveland are pretty decent and compared to the state that I live in currently all the 3 major cities in Ohio do have a low barrier to entry.