It's typically going to match the cost of the 3.5-5% down payment so just be mentally prepared for that.

You may be able to report it to the City/County and get a health inspector to declare it uninhabitable, but that has some negatives to consider.Long story short, I would get rid of them.

However, I do beg to differ -- real estate investing requires work no different than paper -- one has to learn what each tool does, what is involved in making it work, what can go wrong, what one's lifestyle and mentality can support.   

This totally makes sense and is probably what I would end up doing, but my partner and I are going through some health challenges that require us to have our own private unit for now, so we can’t go the SFH route.

One of the biggest things new investors ignore is risk management, yet it represents, by far, the most significant threat to your financial health if you ignore it. 

People think that social workers are the solution, but even they can not get the mentally ill to comply PRIOR to treatment and medication.

I believe he is the sole owner of all of these properties and has just recently started having some health issues, which is why I think he would be open to options potentially before, or even an arrangement after he passes if not selling right now. 

If you are good with the sale, maybe letting go is mentally the better choice.

I'm one of those control freak types and just want someone to lend me some money and let me do me smh lol I have to get out of that type of mentality as they may be good to work with. 

I can speak to Sacramento being an excellent market in that it is a market with high demand with stable industries (government, health and education) that provide a strong base of renters with solid incomes.