We like to set our residents up for success. 

Is this a typical amount of land a resident would expect? 

If it were me and you are occupying the primary residence on the lot I would not spend the extra money to separate utilities. 

After a few years, we purchased our current residence in Tustin, CA. 

Is there a maximum number of days of residency per month/year, etc?

To live there it must be his primary residence.

I have excellent credit, not much debt besides my residence, not sure this matters, but it make me feel good :). lolI am curious what hard money lenders y'all have used and what kind if deals are out there. 

One of the podcasts mentioned that every market has its opportunity, and one of the current opportunities is personal residence interest rates.) 

Joe,I really hope you get some good responses here with how specific portfolios have performed over time.I can tell you that the type of property you purchase, the location of the property, the amount of rent paid by the resident and probably most importantly, the quality and level of renovation are going to have a major impact on performance over time.   

Frequently, vacation rental rules differ if the residence is "owner occupied" remember depending on the state "owner occupied" can be as little as 2 weeks out of the year.