I need to make sure that their needs are being looked after as well.I know he has fair housing rights relating to mental illness, but does that prevent me from discussing the situation with him or with his mother (who co-signed his lease).

I think people are often motivated by a herd mentality when buying homes and want the satisfaction of feeling like they beat everybody. 

I do know that investing in real estate can be a boost to family wealth and will off-set the tax obligations of your current W2 income.Why not invest in a multifamily property before breaking ground on your custom built primary home?

We have a multi-unit in Galveston where the front house is rented out LTR for steady cash income and the back apartment is used to boost cashflow through STR/MTR.

Single family homes are not valued like multifamily properties, and although it makes sense to you coming from a buyer/investor's mindset, the seller has the opposite mentality which is "this house could easily rent for $900 at market rates". 

While you might be able to attend your child's soccer game, you are also likely fielding phone calls and emails during the game, so physically present but not mentally present. 

I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and I work with people with significant cognitive disabilities or mental health challenges.

I had my numbers run for 5.375% yesterday as that was the base rate but this morning rates rose again to base of 5.5%-and well, I've had enough change for one day and like the "mental duct tape" of having a slightly lower interest rate (even if it doesn't make a ton of sense, I could care less about that $560, especially if it makes me feel better to be at 5.375% rather than 5.5% in this moment, just based on emotions, haha)Of note, the property I have under contract requires some major renovations in order to get it to the point that its rentable so I will have carrying costs to the tune of $3k/month to pay for the mortgage until its rentable.

The best description Ive encountered is that most people GET energy from interactions with other people, where by introverts have to USE up a lot of mental energy when interacting with people. 

HB 2550 B Staff Measure Summary writes, "The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing-related transactions based on a person’s race,color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or physical or mental disability.