I plan to purchase a 2-unit+ property as a first-time owner to get all the advantages Maryland offers, and scale from there. 

The property cash flowed prior to purchase even with the planned upgrades (which is why I purchased it), but during ownership and having paid for the planned upgrades, it appears as though it doesn't cash flow.I'll have to look at Baseline!

Gordon Ramsey has had a restaurant for sale and it was taken over by professional squatters (didn't know that was a job title :-)They planned to give away free food and open an art gallery there and are threatening to prosecute anyone entering without their permission.

While I understand the concepts nothing beats seeing these deals in action.I would be grateful for the opportunity and am happy to offer my assistance in conducting research, organizing materials, or handling administrative tasks in return.  

What are vacancy rates in your market and does the current tenant plan to re-up for another year?

I plan to short term it when I'm not living in it so I designed it with an additional vertical guest bed to the right of the living room and with extra dresser space in the bedroom in case of long term tenants.

I plan on buying, rehabbing, and living in the home for at least 2 yrs.

Are you planning to resell? 

I just went to the final Comment Open House and it looks like the final plan will go to City Council for vote around November and be effective in Q2 or Q3 of next year.Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more about your situation.Cheers!

But, since you're looking to buy a primary residence in California, this might not fit your plans right now.Structured Installment Sale: This is a way to spread out your profit over several years by receiving the payment in installments.