From my understanding if you do have their SSN there are extra safeguards you need to keep them safe but I barely looked into it.   

They usually benefit from both a income and appreciation in the long term. 

To have a home you had to have property and if you were going to build a home it was usually a very nice home. 

Usually seeing some of the math will help with the decision. 

Break out single family/condo; then 2 units then 3-4 units all have different rules. 1-2 units is far easier to get approved verses 3-4 which have extra conditions to ensure that the whole project cash flows with market rents minus the one owner occupied unit. 3-4 units you need much larger down payment - as in no 3.5% downSecond home programs are for one unit types: SFR/condo/townhouse.Owner occupied means you live there and your insurance policy matches.

While sealant can give extra water protection, it might also trap moisture, leading to potential issues like mold.

Some investors pay extra or deduct for quicker/late completion.

I think this, combined with a healthy positive cash flow would protect me if vacancies go up during a recession (which is usually the opposite, I heard anyway) or rents stagnate.I'll let somebody who lived through 08-09 without getting "burned" chime in here and hopefully provide some wisdom!

You can usually expense a roof on non-residential property - meaning a property where people do not live.

We typicall upgade lighting by popping in recessed LEDs on dimmers where previously lamps on switched outlets were used, maybe some paint or LVP, but usually not much.