I have a Ford E350 van with tools organized into tool boxes by trade or type of repair.

I worked in the trades myself for a while, and the guy I learned the business from REFUSED to go to HD or Lowes.

I also plan to use eBay and some of the consignment auctions to see if I can get better deals than HomeDepot/Lowes.You may try to see if you can sign up with some of the local contractor supply houses that specialize in certain trades (electrical, HVAC, plumbing, etc).

- Putin will pull out after EU and NATO sanctions block oil trade with Russia and give him a way out that also allows him to save face.

You will only sell that house if buyers consider the trade off having a nice house (or a cheap house) on a busy street worth the sacrifice.And you wonder why agents were all so off on the price...many agents will take any listing and tell you any price so they get your listing and then they will use your house to get buyers for other properties.

In my area NJ that can range from $30 to 60 an hour alone (for the HVAC trade) depending on the of company!

5 units will be a commercial loan as far as I know, regardless of you being owner occupier, so you are looking at 20%+ down payment and a higher mortgage rate.Living there will help you mitigate some expenses, but as you point out, you may be trading quality of life.Make sure you really do your due diligence on the numbers AND property itself.Andrew

A highly leveraged investment can show high Cash on Cash returns, but be very vulnerable to small swings in cash flow.

If you're competing in distressed product where equity is traded for peace of mind you're unlikely to get the seller to carry paper.

But it's also a trade-off I'm willing to make.