Also, row homes are a little less desirable in general and will have a lower resale value.If you are using fha it wouldn't meet the loan limits for 2 flat - $471,000, but you aren't way far off. 

were actually closing today on our first rental property in Indiana not too far from my house and next I will be looking for a multi family in Wisconsin probably found some areas there that I see have potential and the prices on 4 and 5 flats are super reasonable and the job and population numbers are on the rise. 

The only real advantage would be to cash in on buyer's commission and avoid the seller listing fee, however, most brokers still charge a flat fee minimum for transactions.

My friends and I (4 of us altogether) want to start investing in real estate.

Maybe they do now...but at their next meeting, they may decide to start doing things like secondary tenant screenings, interviewing your tenants before approving them as residents, or they could ban leasing altogether (this is not uncommon) or require a year or two of owner occupancy before you are allowed to lease your unit (this is very common). 3.

Two weeks ago water was getting into the ground unit of my 3 flat and I happen to live in this unit.

I was also a licensed realtor in FL at one point so am familiar with the business from that aspect, but still have so much to learn as I move forward as an investor.  

Having a general knowledge of how properties are rated helps you stay away from a 4 family on your first rehab; 4 family properties are generally considered commercial properties & have altogether stricter and more expensive standards. 

Get a flat rate MLS listing service and you should be ok depending on how COVID is affecting your market now and going forward.If you're not comfortable with doing the above, hand it over to a realtor (one who knows their stuff) and let them do their thing.

For this one, you could ask about a flat fee for a broker to go over your documents and facilitate the rest of your transaction since you've done most of the work yourself already.