I haven't really spoken to him since that and we used a family friend to purchase our house recently instead of him because it put a bad taste in my husband's mouth.I say all this because I am in the process of getting my own real estate license but I really feel like I need someone a hell of a lot more seasoned than I am on these first couple of deals to learn the ropes.

And some people, including my real estate mentor who is a seasoned investor would tell me that risking my paid off asset represents the only rational way. 

Seasoned investors wanted!

You should start building relationships with seasoned investors in your local market...with the right relationships, you'll eventually be able to use other's money, knowledge, skills, etc.

You could just specify no basement storage or occupancy. 

It would be helpful to get information from seasoned professionals. 

In a typical year (which 2020 has been anything but) the peak buying season starts to wind down in October, leading to an increase of available inventory.

They don't like to do repairs or finish things so it should be truly move-in ready.The 55 plus market is also seasonal, yes properties turnover all year but a bulk of them will be in the first quarter in Mesa.In summary, know your market, control your costs, and hopefully, have a unit ready in January in a perfect world.

My self storage business seems to meet most of the requirements for being excluded from my total assets - the business/real property is owned by a family-controlled pass-through LLC, has employees but fewer than 100, provides services in connection with its real estate holdings, and keeps separate bank accounts in the business name. 

@Nickelle Reagle if you’re going to use your friends funds then you should have them transfer it now so it can season for 2 months before you start to try to buy something.