We would like to stay near by to my folks so they can help out with looking after the child.

Check the internet on Americans retiring South of the border.

In the Pittsburgh, where I live, there was something of a golden age of building 2-bedroom duplexes, from 1945-1960.Brick-veneer, good mortar, furnace/AC should be replaced with American Standard or Trane ASAP, good-quality vinyl window replacements with no window wrapping (window wrapping is often a curse on brick veneer, because when it fails it tends to hide where water starts getting into the brick and infiltrating the walls).

You can withdraw penalty free up to 10k to purchase your first home, it also allows a 5k withdrawal for each parent after the birth of a child (per child). 

And I've managed 400 rentals for a dozen years and not once had a child fall and kick a hole in the wall.

She explained it was because her then husband hadn't given his child support money and she was a young first time mother with no where else to go.OK.

The idea of raising asset values gives people the illusion that they have wealth “wealth effect”, if someone is paycheck to paycheck (like most Americans are) but they are told they have 6 figures in “equity”, they still feel strong with their financial position. they don’t feel the need to save, and thus as a consumer driven economy that we are, they continue to live paycheck to pay check without feeling like they aren’t saving, because their “house is saving for them”….but then the fed hits the brakes when too much money gets out into the system and it sucks out all of that phantom equity with higher rates.

More than likely whoever does child protective services in your city also does senior protective services. 

I just purchased my first multi-unit property (duplex) in Sacramento, just near American River College.

I just purchased my first multi-unit property (duplex) in Sacramento, just near American River College.