So call it $12k/mo combined was our best year ever.

Both on one loan may save you a bit up front in costs, but it'll make it more complicated if you ever decide to keep one and sell one.

Quote from @Rich Davis: I know there have been posts regarding the ever increasing cost of insurance.  

Quote from @Brody Veilleux: Is it ever a good idea to “BRRRR” a primary residence, minus the renting part?

I am not sure I have seen any lenders ever offer any type of holiday incentive.

You could have stopped this train wreck before it ever left the station.

A huge number of properties we have looked at would have issues on this front.It can lead to an opportunity to improve the value of a property if you can buy it with an illegal area, get that area legalised and then sell on with a higher value that the bank would lend against, but it's not clear cut and it seems though that there are almost two levels of 'legalisation' - we were able to register all of the annex on the plans and could fully incorporate a portion of it but there is another portion that is too close to the back boundary wall that should only be used for things like storage and not ever for habitation. 2) During the purchase process be careful, amongst other issues with this property we had the situation where the seller's lawyer was not actually a lawyer (having been struck off).

Never , ever .

REI is an ever changing landscape and you're chances for success are greater when you learn from and hear from others who have the experience.

The happiest day of my investing career was when I transferred ownership to all those houses in one transaction and to never ever go there again with that asset class.But thats me.. section 8 can work but its not as passive as folks claim.