Each time on the first two I have bought in my name, renovated one side while living in the other, swapped sides renovating while living in the other, then rented out both sides when moving on to the next project.

Depending where you are, some utilities are attached to the house and some to the person living there. 

I've bought a total of 8 houses in my life, while I can't touch many on BP, that's a lot to me...mix of primary residences as live in flips, normal primary, and 4 investments.

My family cannot live around there.

As a newbie passive real-estate investor currently living in Austin, TX. 

I live in the Raleigh NC  locale. 

This Mountain Modern condominium has high-end finishes in kitchen and bathrooms including heated floors and custom built-ins in the living room.

NACA puts a $25,000 soft-second lien on the property to ensure that the Member lives in the property for as long as they have the NACA Mortgage - https://www.naca.com/faq/gener.. 

We live in Alabama. 

Which means I have to have money to live on or other sources of income to keep me going during a project.