Since you'll be an owner occupant, you can purchase a property with as little as 3.5% down and potentially use the income from the property toward your income.

Hey @Christy Osterkamp, have you compared current STRs in Nampa for occupancy and nightly rate?

Most loans require owner occupancy within 60 days and won't get through underwriting without written proof that this will happen. 

We list this unit on Airbnb and run at about 90% occupancy.

Unless the previous borrower requests a release of liability, the servicer must process the following exempt transactions without reviewing or approving the terms of the transfer:[...]A transfer of the property [...] to[...]a limited liability company (LLC), provided that- the mortgage loan was purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae on or after June 1, 2016, and- the LLC is controlled by the original borrower or the original borrower owns a majority interest in the LLC, and if the transfer results in a permitted change of occupancy type to an investment property, such change does not violate the security instrument (for example, the 12 month occupancy requirement for a principal residence)."

There are many multi-millionaires who built their fortunes via single fam houses.One of the best things about this approach is that it allows you to get the home with an owner occupant mortgage (which has the best terms).A few considerations:Single family properties often appreciate better than multifam properties (especially if they're in highly desirable areas).If you decide to sell it, a single fam will often be easier to sell than a multifamPeople rent single fam homes all the time, if the home is in the right area (you'll need to do your own market analyses to figure out where people are renting single fam homes, and what they're paying in rent).If someone can afford to rent a single fam home, that does not necessarily mean they could afford to buy a comparable home. 

Once you have settled on the area, then it's time to drill down on the nightly rates and occupancy for the area.

My property would have cash flowed by a few hundred dollars on only 30% occupancy.

Or with STRs some people might say they're great and others say it's oversaturated, share horror stories, say occupancy and revenue is low, and generally make it sound unappealing.

I know that during the hunting season occupancy increases substantially.