Or take the hit for a few years and then refinance for a lower monthly payment. 

After about 2 or 3 years I refinanced the property and not only lowered my interest rate but also got enough proceeds to pay off the seller loan.

Painted the lower level extremely dark.

I'm not planning on making my first purchase for about months so I can pay off some of my current debt and lower my debt-to-income ratio. 

Since Ive been looking at loans, it appears that if I was to buy say a single unit for the purpose as an investment to rent out, I would need 20% down... but if I was buying the unit as my primary residence You can qualify for a MUCH lower down payment depending on your income. 

What time frame would you like to have one?

Desktop advantages: May have a few more custom features, and lower cost.

@Mike LambertThinking I can learn a lot from investing internationally and the price point typically is lower in those areas to buy in

@Drew RamascoI don’t fancy myself a math whiz but the payments on a 30yr loan are much lower than that of a 15.

Also, even if it is in a lower tax suburb that property tax number is really low - for a house of that value i would expect anywhere from $1200 - $3000 depending on the location.You need to factor in water and sewer as well.