Will the 3rd unit has a difficult time to sell because the lender will not want to borrow money for a property that has high-rental-occupied? 

If they are marginal, Hard money may be the better choice

I was born and raised here too and chose to stick to my roots and work/invest here as well, good choice!

What state is this in and if you can negotiate the broker fee as borrower paid so that your rate is a bit lower.

If you do, then you can choose whatever you like the best.If you don't have a C wire, then your choices are very limited. 

Brew City FB Group is a great source for contractors.BTW here is a good story: the choice of lender matters more than most people think and not for the interest rate.

The appraisal will have all the info on it as far as NOI, but it is up to the lender to decide how seriously they will take that number.Some lenders require it to big double the mortgage payment at least, others require it to be occupied, while if you have reserves for a couple months, they don't care.What you mainly want to look for is what lender the borrower is using or if you're getting an appraisal for yourself to just ask upfront.Hope this helps, feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Ecuador is currently one of my top choices so If you could get back to me at your earliest convenience on the mortgage question that would be great! 

@Dimitri PaspalarisWithout providing advice on your fund choices, I would say the idea of allocating different portions of your discretionary income in a diversified manner is a great idea.The same way you would diversify a market investment portfolio or diversify a real estate investment portfolio, I always recommend people diversify their “wealth portfolio”.Wishing you all the best in achieving your financial goals!

Would borrowing private money at a 30-yr fixed rate be a way of offering him the balance due on the loan and get the home for under market?