If I am satisfied with that conversation I send them to my local mortgage broker for a more detailed mortgage pre qualification.Here are #'s on the 2 properties:1.

@Chris Mason @Irina Belkofer This conversation has gone way over my head. hahaha Although I am positive this will come in handy one day. 

I would go with option D  or B if you really want dimmers, in my state you can't even get incandescent unless you really look for it, and whoever is paying the power bill will most certainly appreciate LED bulbs. 

The reason I would say Queens over Long Island personally is that you have a mor Renters demographic in Queen were transportation is more accessible and multi family conversations are happening at a rate that could make your head spin seriously right around the corner they tore down a single family and built not one but two duplexes rite next to each other.

Here are some recommendations for you:Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: http://www.biggerpockets.com/meetSet up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsRead Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investingCheck out BP Podcasts: http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/category/podcast/If you wish to tag someone in the conversation on the forum, type @ followed by their name and then select the name of that person which should appear below the comments box.

Vacation rental may not be the best investment for your 401k, and because you can't manage it yourself should you live your money in the mercy of the stock market or in the money market account losing it's purchasing power to inflation?

Instead of having the whole conversation based around what you are trying to get out of it or what you can learn from him make sure to ask him about his story.

Here are the laws in regards to this stuff.4735.01 [Effective Until 3/20/2019] Real estate broker definitions.As used in this chapter:(A) "Real estate broker" includes any person, partnership, association, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or corporation, foreign or domestic, who for another, whether pursuant to a power of attorney or otherwise, and who for a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration, or with the intention, or in the expectation, or upon the promise of receiving or collecting a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration does any of the following:(1) Sells, exchanges, purchases, rents, or leases, or negotiates the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of any real estate;(2) Offers, attempts, or agrees to negotiate the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of any real estate;(3) Lists, or offers, attempts, or agrees to list, or auctions, or offers, attempts, or agrees to auction, any real estate;(4) Buys or offers to buy, sells or offers to sell, or otherwise deals in options on real estate;(5) Operates, manages, or rents, or offers or attempts to operate, manage, or rent, other than as custodian, caretaker, or janitor, any building or portions of buildings to the public as tenants;(6) Advertises or holds self out as engaged in the business of selling, exchanging, purchasing, renting, or leasing real estate;(7) Directs or assists in the procuring of prospects or the negotiation of any transaction, other than mortgage financing, which does or is calculated to result in the sale, exchange, leasing, or renting of any real estate;(8) Is engaged in the business of charging an advance fee or contracting for collection of a fee in connection with any contract whereby the broker undertakes primarily to promote the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of real estate through its listing in a publication issued primarily for such purpose, or for referral of information concerning such real estate to brokers, or both, except that this division does not apply to a publisher of listings or compilations of sales of real estate by their owners;(9) Collects rental information for purposes of referring prospective tenants to rental units or locations of such units and charges the prospective tenants a fee.

I'm wondering if I could buy a home with an attached garage and use 203k to convert the garage into a studio apartment which I would live in while renting out the rest of the house. Obviously, this would be dependent ...

There's a lot of great ideas, learning opportunities, and hard-won lessons in the forum conversations.