@John Cushing -- I was focused on southern Westchester county, NY because my mother and I already co-own a multi family there, and because I have access to the Hudson Gateway MLS. 

Don't let it turn into a place you wouldn't let your mother visit or at least make sure it's not a place that would shame your family name.

We never agreed on a length of time and since the closing, his mother who is mentally unstable has gone crazy.

What i actually ended up doing was buying a 3 bed 2 bath single family home which has a separate mother-in-law house on the same property. 

My mother wants to invest and has 85k but it’s only 38k in liquid the rest is tied up in IRAs.

“Diversification” is for those who don’t know what they’re doing.Get educated.Put all your eggs in one giant basket.Your basket.Then watch the basket like a mother-so and so.Sit beside it and guard it with a semi-automatic if you have to.That’s what I do.Good luck.

I got one property from a laborer of one of my contractors whose mother was selling her home.

Hi everyone, I just purchased a duplex recently and my mother is renting out the other half.

Changed the names just in case. .lol Owner 1: Carol, took a 2nd mortgage on her house to buy her daughter (Owner 2, Jen) and husband (owner 3, Bob) a multi unit and have Bobs mother also live in one of the units who is also Owner 4: Lori. 

It turns out one property I own totally, the other with my mother in law, so one mortgage was analyzed resulting in one DTI, and the other includes 3 more properties that my mother in law owns, resulting in a higher DTI.