The financed property limit applies to the borrower's ownership of one- to four-unit financed properties or mortgage obligations on such properties and is cumulative for all borrowers.

My concern is later in your post you mentioned borrowing/partnering with a friend to pay it off.then invest in something that has a quicker more guaranteed return of investment.This is the part that doesn't fit.

Increasing the price is predatory lending as it restricts the borrower from refinancing and it simply becomes gouging the buyer.

I’m a little conflicted about different borrowing strategies.

If you are going to borrow you need documentation.

@Joel Owens so can someone go through a HML for a joint venture or must that be set up between a private money source and the borrower through a RE lawyer?

The amount of your payment is computed from the amount you borrow, the interest rate you're paying and the length of the loan (i.e., the term.)Your income and credit are considered when qualifying for the loan.

Was on the site, how does one borrow through the site?

/Mr banker/loan originator/loan officer/ "SALESPERSON" are going to charge me an additional fee to which I am already going to pay you a fee for when I borrow money from your company or source through the interest you charge me.

Oh, and as for the 'my home is/is not an investment' debate, here's my take: if you gain equity (almost a certainty in SF) than you can borrow against it to buy more real estate (and to me that makes it an investment.)