I'm unsure what the right path is, but I've been reading about investing in owner-occupied, multi-family properties.

Are you planning to owner occupy? 

Checking in with the BP public on this...wife and I just bought and moved into a SF this May at 6.812% and the monthly payment (4319 all in) is pretty painful. Put 10% down on a 650k sale price. PMI is surprisingly ch...

Also as a sidenote I assume you are lending on non owner occupied homes - never lend on an owner occupied property.

@Yaumari Gonzalez your #1 challenge will be retraining your brain on how to make offers on rentals.Owner-occupied transactions are mostly EMOTIONAL based transactions.Investment property transactions should only be BUSINESS transactions - no emotions!

I run about 80% occupancy but much of the time I am 100% occupied. 

@Luke Stewart I have 37 mid-term rentals in buildings that I own and operate in the Chicago suburbs. 91% occupied last year.

I have recently bought a property that has not been occupied for several years in Montgomery County PA upset sale.

Lastly, and most importantly from a lending perspective it could be a little more difficult to go from an owner occupied 2 family to an owner occupied 4 family.

It seems in order of increasing profitability:LTR < MTR < STRGiven that I'm based in the Denver metro area, unless I'm occupying the property as my primary residence, STR is out the question, as Denver has cracked down on the short tern rental laws.