Establish your credit and keep it stellar.

This will require you to learn all the ins-and-outs of parks, to include filling up spaces, renovating homes, selling homes (along with licensing requirements), carrying paper, crafting the correct leases and notices, establishing the right park rules, proper tenant communication, metering of utilities, and the list goes on...

Basicaly your saying  put more in at a lower rate of return and then gamble on appreciation??  

We need someone to work on our primary, and to establish a relationship for work on investment properties.

It also may throw off our debt to income ratio, even if it's cashflowing nicely, because from what I've read, many lenders will not consider rental income until it has been established for two years, and we may be looking for a personal home in under two years.Anywho, if anyone has any comments or suggestions about purchasing an investment property when you're < 3 years away from buying a home for yourself, I'm all ears!

I'm planning on waiting a year until I go to my local credit union and talk to them about other options on establishing my credit.

My thought was to find a good management company early and establish that relationship before growing much larger.

As far as risks, I'd rather take the 10 years of certain cash flow with moderate appreciation over gambling on equity increases.

No, because a) that might be their luxury/vice item for all I know, which is 100% fine if it's viewed as a luxury item that they just really personally enjoy and gain happiness from (it's much less harmful than other vices, like drugs or gambling!)

But probate is the most compelling piece, followed by establishing wealth distribution that doesn't need to be manually updated constantly (if there is something a family can argue over, they often will - it's a pretty large stressor.)Best of luck on the presentation @Sean Morrison