The property I purchased was originally my residence and it now a rental but for all intents and purposes I am brand new to real estate investing.I would love to hear from those who have used either of these strategies or any alternative ideas.

I purchased my primary residence with the intention of house hopping and renting it out, before i discovered BP.

You can use an FHA on up to a 4 unit residence. 

When discussing signatures he is wanting to call and discuss with his "buddy" to see if he can match it or give him a better offer.

Will they be residents, are they relatives, etc.

For tax purposes I made my principal residence 50% and rental investment 50%.

Hannah,If you private message me, I am happy to share our rental application and resident selection criteria.

Every primary residence I have purchased, I have required a survey.Going forward, would you recommend surveying future properties?

Here is me and my wife's situation We bought our townhouse for a little over 60k and closed in September of 2016 (and this is our residence) our HOA is $125 a month(covers water).

My wife and I are moving to Oahu and have some colleagues we're working with to help build our primary residence.