The problem is every lead I come across is either a) very cheap but extremely run down and maybe in a not very good part of town that would be hard to market and take a large amount of capital to fix up or b) nice and has tenants already in it (turn key type which is ideal scenario) but the owner is asking way too much for it to cash flow.I'm not frustrated to the point where I am going to stop.

Things to consider:-I need to be in a city, walking distance to a business district of some kind-I'd like to follow a path of progress within a city, and don't mind being close to (but not within) sketchier areas-a market where the average 3 bed 2 bath sells for under *ideally* 250k, but up to 350k (I'll be looking for a property that needs work, but this sort of market)-must be SF no association-I'm 31, single/no kids.

Whether the second home is a conventional, vacation, or investment loan, is still to be determined; ideally I’d want to invest as little as possible in the down payment.

Some of the small towns in the area do have a shortage of housing, so you may have an easy time renting it (Digikey keeps growing, commuting to GF continues to be cheap), but this seems like a less-than ideal situation if you were to purchase it.

Pros: Lower cost and barrier to begin investingIf you also own the land you can rent the land & sell the mobile home.You have flexibility to resell with seller financing vs. renting for potentially higher yieldCons:Can't rent mobiles in parksThey depreciate quickly & don't appreciateThey will usually attract a less than ideal renter pool

I plan to live in this unit for at least the next 4-5 years and ideally would like to hold on to it as a rental property when I eventually move out. 

It's possible for your "dream home" to also be a good investment and I think that should be the ideal goal. 

I came across the BRR method and have been watching videos/ reading about it, it seems very practical and like the ideal way to invest.

My mom is getting older and a two-story home is less than ideal.

If I can get closer to late q1 in 2021 that would be ideal.