Without diving into major details or specifics one way or another-- the general rule is that the markets that appreciate the most also crash the hardest.

Dive in and have fun!

Risk level - from the threads I've read, I understand that a big factor of choosing MF over SF is the risk of vacancies and how with MF you won't really have to worry about having 100% vacancy as opposed to SF, but then again, the difference between monthly PITI payments is quite large.. the monthly PITI on the triplex would be almost $1,300 while the monthly PITI on a SF would be less than $500, so in a worst case scenario where both are fully vacant for some reason, I'd be much more capable of covering the SF payment, while the MF payment would put me way too deep in the hole.4.

I don't have pockets nearly deep enough to do this on my own.I feel out of my depth here and am hoping someone can give me some advice on how to best help this family.  

I can't wait to dive in the real estate investing world.

We head out deep into the Texas hill country and look for as many unpaved routes as we can find. 

My hobbies include scuba diving, horseback riding, app development, robotics, auto mechanics and performance stage lighting.

I'm new to the real estate world and I am very excited to get my feet wet and dive in!  

I will definitely dive into this wealth of free education and networking. 

@William Allen, I guess we're looking at it too simplistically and not digging deep enough.. but the way I see it is that in 30 years with just a $30k downpayment we will have a fully paid off house.Unless the housing market crashes, how can any real estate investment in the long term not be worth it?