A few years earlier in 2012 I had filed for bankruptcy and was just now eligible to buy a house.

I am worried not only about escalating costs but also about diminishing profit margins due to delays in obtaining permits.

We are a family of 4 (45/40/6/9) in Bergen County, NJ and interested in buying a beach front condo in Wildwood Crest, NJ.

I'm leaning toward buying a single or double family home with the intent of renting to others - not sure about short or long - i guess it depends on the deal and how it goes? 

The cash flow is great, but I am looking for a lending source---private or a financial institution---to buy many more like these---they need to be in small cities though.Property management is not a problem, since they own the house and will fix it up themselves. 

I want to know if I buy a four plex under an FHA, claiming that one of the units will be my primary residence, can I move somebody into the unit I claim as my residence and collect rent from them without issue? 

@Charles Burgess To be honest with you, the chances of you buying a lot and building on it for less than the cost of buying an existing property are pretty low.

Do you think it's worthwhile to buy a lot and build a house to potentially sell for profit?

The great. thing about the 1031 exchange it is will allow you to sell in Tampa and buy any type of real estate anywhere in the US.Here's one caveat to explore however. 

If the value goes down the tenant doesn’t buy or renegotiates and you lose.