Hey @Bryan Findlay, it depends on how comfortable you are with the cash flow under that scenario.

How comfortable are you with long-distance investing? 

If you aren’t comfortable making those decisions, then being a rental property owner may not be the right choice.

The first step is just doing it and now I'm comfortable enough to try again.

But like all plans there were challenges and my first child was born shortly after my return which made it a little harder to devote the time required for a new agent to grow their business.

I suppose I would if I found/create the right deal, but I haven’t found anything as of late.Some of it is personal comfort level.

The fact that it was suggested by your CPA who knows how you look to the IRS better than anyone would give me comfort if I was you.Bottom line for me is that one should never do something you know to be wrong just because you'll get away with it. 

I could also rehab the vacant unit first, then let the tenants stay there to make it more comfortable for them while their primary unit is fixed up.

You just have to think about comfortability vs profitability. 

Since I am new to real estate investing and am just starting to feel comfortable analyzing SFH and SMF rental properties, I am not sure that I know all I need to know to take advantage of this deal.