Adam I bet dollars to donuts this is not CA property sounds like D class rust belt or mid west.Chicago etc.

I didn’t respond to your negative post to win an argument—I replied to encourage him and others not to give up on a dream just because one person may feel it’s not achievable.Listen, have you ever considered that maybe you and even a few others may be wrong?

You can play landlord for a few years and you'll learn a lot from doing that (especially hands-on) - but long term not a winning strategy.

Talking to a commercial lender is the best bet.

It's typically both.I bet dollars to donuts your tenants are paying less than the rentals are worth and they are trashing them.

Everyone wins.     

When I list a property for an owner as their agent, I often find a buyer direct due to my large pool of investor buyers and give my seller a discount on the commission when I do acquire a buyer directly - win/win.Sounds like this could be a great fit - if you feel the same then don’t hesitate to DM me and we can discuss more details and next steps

Good luck. haha i would run away from anyone self-proclaiming as "financial expert" with the expectation to "meet the guru / mentor/coach / master of all business" in his/her personal residence lol I have not google him yet but I bet he is taking picture in front of luxury house and driving sports car ?

Negotiations focused on a win-win approach, securing the property at $197,000, aligning with market value, while setting us up for a profitable resale with a trusted buyer on the same day.

Then your best bet is to add a second stair, make several duplexes or, if possible, see if there are any unique Code exceptions to allow a single stair to be the means of egress.