The numbers look okay for 20% expenses, but not 40% in my market, and I don't want to bank on optimism (or rather I want a 20% buffer).

Hi Derek,Cashflow positive real estate will help your ability to qualify for a primary residence mortgage, not hinder, assuming an REI-friendly lender, and that you maintain adequate PITI reserves (if you have healthy retirement accounts, that'll typically do it). 

Dad has been a very difficult tenant due to having new pets without informing, not maintain yard etc... and other issues.Mom was working in a different city and was not added initially. 

This could have been achieved with creative finance: but not with a conventional loan and more than likely not without a partner.Recommend these secured credit cards:-Citi-Discover (offers rewards)-Capital OneUse automatic payments on the full balance and only utilize 30 percent of your card limit; 10 percent is optimal.

They co-mingle funds, they do not maintain clear and consistent lines of responsibility, etc.  

It is required by brokers that you purchase this policy to protect them and yourself from negligence on your part.Also, the MLS isn't an entity that charges fees, the various associations of Realtors charge membership fees and your local association maintains your local MLS. 

They are a pain to maintain.

A good architect's advice and design expertise will be invaluable to maintain schedule and budget, and also will add value to your project.  

Residential in gentrifying neighborhoods still offers stronger turns, if you know how to optimize the variables by actively repositioning the property.

I think my “optimal” route with a NPN is to rehab it via loan modification and get it reperforming, and then flip the reperforming note to somebody who’s interested in the cash flow.