You cannot be the nice guy, you must be respectful but demanding of what you asked for.Get referrals from as many pros in your area so save you the headache of hunting down good workers.Get multiple bids on everything.TRUST YOUR GUT.Don't take referrals from unexperienced rehabbers (this one cost me dearly).Create an contingency fund for when you go over budget because you will.

Based on what you are saying other than "retiree's" there are no other major employers or economic options drawing people.Relying on supply and demand.

If that creates a greater demand for manufactured housing, do you think it would translate to more institutional lending programs for mh given the lack of seller financing?

Maybe demand a warranty deed.

Their has been less of a savings in California this past summer because the inventory was so low and the demand was high.

Lender gets everything at payoff, principal plus unpaid interest, plus payoff demand fee, plus recording, plus etc.

If this is just a temporary problem and the tenant ends up staying quite a while, they will most likely "forget" that their deposit was used for Dec 2013's rent and demand it back at the end.

If you're just starting out I strongly recommend purchasing a small mulit family, like a duplex, and supplementing your living expenses by someone else paying for the mortgage.

To be honest I don't understand why there is so much demand for the place.

That doesn't mean there aren't some great deals out there with SFRs - at the right price and location, there are several great investment opportunities with them - but given the choice, side by side, I would rather buy and hold a multiplex - which in my area are actually in high demand now.Some obvious disadvantages are if both tenants stop paying rent, your going to have a big nut to crack - and as others have mentioned - multiplexes usually have the water lines tied to one account / meter and the owner is typically responsible for water payment ( unless negotiated in the contract).