It could have been that he meant to say "our units are not approved by Section 8", which would probably have been ok.People who receive any kind of public assistance (Sec. 8, TANF, SSI, AFDC, etc), are a protected class in Mass. 

In my area I see a lot of "Mother In-Law" apartments and other non-legal 1 bedroom tack ons... often these are garage conversions. 

I'm only nearly 5 mos in on my venture but we need to carry the following for our residential care (assisted living)  licensed for 41 beds - but we can hold 36 beds in our current configurationGeneral Liability (We buy through an independent broker - basically covers medical malpractice, any slip/falls etc)Workers CompAnd even though you arent interested - Non owned auto insurance in case staff use their own vehicles to run an errand etc, building insurance for wind/hail etc inc general property liabilityAll of this runs around $33k to 36k a year for us - thats before health insurance for us etc - Work Comp is the most expensive part of that mix.Your best bet is likely not to find the coverage by calling yourself - you'll just waste your time - find a broker that can sell you this insurance - as far as limits - some of the limits are state mandated and will be in the regulations. 

The “agreement” he sent me is below (identifying details redacted):______________________RESIDENTIAL LEASE and OPTION TO PURCHASE AGREEMENTBUYER/TENANT: XXX Holdings, LLC Date: 2-16-2018SELLER/LANDLORD: XXXPROPERTY ADDRESS: XXXXXXRESIDENTIAL LEASE1) Rent: $2,500 per month2) Lease Term: 36 months, beginning March 16, 2018 and ending March 16, 2021.3) Maintenance: Buyer/Tenant will be responsible for maintenance and repairs ofthe property, not to exceed $500 per incident.4) Sub-Lease: Buyer/Tenant has the right to sub-lease this property with writtenconsent by the Seller / Landlord, and this shall not be unreasonably withheld.OPTION to PURCHASE1) Purchase Price: $ 345,0002) Option Period: 36 months, beginning March 16, 2018 and ending March 16,2021.3) Option Consideration: $100 - All Option Consideration will be credited in fulltoward the purchase of the property.4) Rent Credit: Buyer/Tenant will be credited $ 0 per month toward the purchase.5) Closing Costs: Purchaser will pay all allowable closing costs.6) Expiration: This offer shall expire on March 16, 2021.7) Inspection: This offer is contingent upon physical inspection of property andsubsequent completion of a more formal and signed Residential Lease with Optionto Purchase Agreement.8) Non-Exclusive – This agreement is non-exclusive and can be canceled anytimeby either party.9) Assignable – This Agreement is assignable with written consent by the Seller /Landlord, and this shall not be unreasonably withheld.X_____________________________ X ________________________________Seller/Landlord Date Buyer/Tenant Date_________________I have a few questions: Is this legit?

For example, the search for a duplex to house-hack one unit and rent out the other can be substantially different than the search for a 20 unit non-owner occupied property.

You can get a HELOC on a non owner occupied, but it's not always easy to find a bank that will do it.

Just wondering what the tax implications are of paying a partner/contractor who is a non-owner a premium for the work done with a flip?

So I am stuck with being limited to just any publicly traded stock, reit, bond, mutual funds, ETFs.I could just buy Berkshire Hathaway stock or something which is likely to hold up and perform well over the long term.

Of course many lawyers would tell you otherwise.Of course, one possible advantage (if this is important to you) is that an LLC provides a layer of obfuscation if for some reason you are looking to make it harder for someone to find out you are a landlord through public records. 

In illinois they are public notice.