He literally grew up with donkeys and camels as the family "vehicles," so it 100% makes sense that spitting twigs out off to the side wasn't something he gave second thought to... plop a 19th century cowboy in a Corvette, and he might spit chewing tobacco without really thinking about it!

You could also buy a single family or townhome in MD or NOVA that would make sense as a rental if you move in 2 years. 

If the reason is something explainable then it may make sense to take other factors into consideration and get a larger deposit to offset credit score.

Investing the money in a rental property would make sense if I owned the place I'm living in, but I don't.

As long as the deal makes sense and it will appraise, you should be able to get 20-25 year amortization, but it will likely come with a 5 or 10 year call. 

I am using the BP rental calculator to analyze my properties but part of the final analysis does not make sense to me.

We used to talk all the time about investing in multi family properties around Fayetteville, but we could never find the right agent or deal to make sense. 

If you're willing I'd be happy to sit down and talk and see what might make the most sense for you.

@Peter VanceIf the numbers work and the deal makes sense to you, go for it.

Most of the 2 units don't make sense to me as an investor at this time, but might make sense if one was house hacking.