The lender is probably pushing you towards owner occupant because it is probably much easier for you (and, by default, easier for him) to get a loan that way.

I have bought a property myself and also helped 4 investors/owner occupants secure properties on Hubzu.

If it is zoned in a triplex zoning district but is a quad and the town has issued a certificate of occupancy for four units than it is a legally non conforming use and you should be okay.Basically, you need to check with the town and make sure it is legally operating as a four unit building especially if you suspect they may only have authorization for 3 units.

Does any one know if rent stabilization applies in a 6 unit build in NYC with the owner living in 1 of the 6 and renting out 5 units?

Is that what you are getting at when you mention occupancy?

Kerry, I believe if it is a 2-4 property, FHA would only do 75% if your son needs you as non-occupant co-signer, much more (I think it's the 97% but could be less on a refi) if it's a single family home using a non-occupant co-signer, so looking for higher percentage of loan is probably going to be difficult no matter which one you choose.

For all concerned.Acronyms*REI Abbreviations**AFD* - Agreement For Deed*AITD* - All Inclusive Trust Deed*APR* - Annual Percentage Rate*ARM* - Adjustable Rate Mortgage*ARV* - After-Repaired Value*ATR* - Ability to Repay - See CFPB*BOM* - Back On Market*BOR* - Board of Realtors*CAD* - County Appraisal District*Cap* - Capitalization*CCIM* - Certified Commercial Investment Member*CCR* - Conditions, Covenants, and Restrictions*CFD* - Contract for Deed*CFPB* - Consumer Finance Protection Bureau - See ATR*CLTV* - Combined Loan To Value*CMA* - Comparative Market Analysis*COCR* - Cash on Cash Return*COF* - Cost of Funds*COO* - Certificate of Occupancy*CRB* - Certified Residential Broker*CRE* - Creative Real Estate*CRS* - Certified Residential Specialist*DBA* - Doing Business As*DCR* - Debt Coverage Ratio*DOS* - Due On Sale Clause*DOT* - Deed of Trust*DSCR* - Debt Service Coverage Ratio*FCRA* - Fair Credit Reporting Act*FED* - Created the CFPB*FFE* - Furniture, Fixture, and Equipment*FHA* - Federal Housing Administration*FHLMC* - Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Freddie Mac*FMR* - Fair Market Rent*FMV* - Fair Market Value*FNMA* - Federal National Mortage Association, Fannie Mae*FRBO* - For Rent by Owner*FSBO* - For Sale by Owner*GMAC* - General Motors Acceptance Corporation*GRM* - Gross Rent Multiplier*HELOC* - Home Equity Line of Credit*HML* - Hard Money Lender*HOA* - Homeowners Association*HUD* - Housing and Urban Development*HVAC* - Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning*IRA* - Individual Retirement Account*IRC* - Internal Revenue Code*IRR* - Internal Rate of Return*IRS* - Internal Revenue Service*L/O* - Lease Option*L/P* - Lease Purchase*L/S* - Landlord Seller*LIBOR* - London Interbank Offering Rate*LLC* - Limited Liability Company*LOC* - Line of Credit*LOI* - Letter of Intent*LP* - Limited Partnership*LPOA* - Limited Power of Attorney*LTV* - Loan to Value*MAI* - Member Appraisal Institute*MAO* - Maximum Allowable Offer*MIP* - Mortgage Insurance Premium*MLS* - Multiple Listing Service*MUD* - Municipal Utility District*NAR* - National Association of Realtors*NIV* - No Income Verification*NNN* - Triple Net Lease*NOD* - Notice of Default*NOI* - Net Operating Income*NOO* - Non-Owner Occupant*O/F* - Owner Finance*OO* - Owner Occupant*P&S* - Purchase and Sale*PITI* - Principal Interest Taxes Insurance*PMI* - Private Mortgage Insurance*POA* - Power of Attorney*PUD* - Planned Unit Development*REI* - Real Estate Investing / Real Estate Investor*REIA* - Real Estate Investors Association*REIT* - Real Estate Investment Trust*REO* - Real Estate Owned*RMLO* - Registered Mortg Loan Orginator*ROI* - Return On Investment*RTO* - Rent to Own*SFH* - Single Family House*SFR* - Single Family Residence*Sub2* - Buying property subject to existing financing*T/B* - Tenant Buyer*TAA* - Texas Apartment Association*TAR* - Texas Association of Realtors*TIL* - Truth In Lending*TREC* - Texas Real Estate Commission*UBIT* - Unrelated Business Income Tax*UCC* - Uniform Commercial Code*VA* - Department of Veterans Affairs / Veterans AdministrationFORUM ABBREVIATIONS*AFAIK* - As Far As I Know*AFK* - Away From Keyboard*AKA* - Also Known As*BBIAM* - Be Back In a Minute*BFN* - Bye For Now*BRB* - Be Right Back*BTW* - By The Way*CUL* - See You Later*FYI* - For Your Information*G2G* - Got to Go*IMHO* - In My Humble Opinion*IMO* - In My Opinion*LMAO* - Laughing My *** Off*LOL* - Laughing Out Loud*NT* - No Text*ROFL* - Rolling on the Floor Laughing*ROTFLMAO* - Rolling on the Floor Laughing My *** Off*TIA* - Thanks In Advance

Several government foreclosures (HUD, Fannie mae, Freddie mac and possibly VA homes) have a two week priority period for owner occupants and if you can keep an eye on these sites and pull the trigger when there is a property with equity it might be a better way to capitalize on your housing than simply trying to capture rent check each month.

Make sure that the contractor isn't going to ask YOU to pull permits (Some contractors try this, despite the fact that it is very illegal in Georgia for a homeowner to pull permits unless they are an owner occupant, and even then there are often local restrictions as to what kind of work they can perform)Get quotes from 3 different contractors that WEREN'T recommended to you by the wholesaler.

I really want to buy a duplex as my first investment (owner occupant) but have been having throughts of buying a stable college rental instead.