See u all hold it against some one with eviction papers u fall to realize sometimes it really is not there fault at all I have a friend right now who was her mom's primary care giver her brother got power of attorney from there Mom and he is now evicting his own sister out of there moms house to be a dick to her and refused to let her see her Mon cause one he knows there mom will not stand for it so you see don't be so fast to judge cause some one has been served eviction papers you can not always go by that.

It might not make a difference to you, but your tax pro and bookkeeper will hate it. 

I have two units in two different buildings.

Great way to lower the expenses of the primary

I am looking to understand the ROI on the investment under the two scenarios and how to correctly estimate the differences in total return between the two options, assuming the positive cash flow ($28K/year w 3% growth rate) is reinvested and compared to keeping the $260K in the stock market.

Not all DSCR programs allow first time home buyers, so if you don't have a primary residence, make sure to you qualify for the specific program you are looking for.

Fortunately we had the financial position to be able to "leave them at the alter" and go a different direction, however most consumers may not be as fortunate or prepared.

Also, why different cities? 

I want to house hack the next 4plex with a conventional primary loan using 5% down. 

Worth it IMHO.I agree with @John Underwood that it shouldn't make too much of a difference.You can always charge the guests less and then expense the difference.