Since you don't own a primary residence, that might be a great first step for you. 

For example if you want her to stay if they were to break up, have the lease state that she is the primary resident and he is the roommate.

What is the cash out loan limit on a primary home in your state?

Burke,Coming from someone who handles this everyday I find it a lot easier to offer financing to a couple who buy a SFH as a primary. 

I don't yet even own my primary residence (which means my VA loan is still an option), but I am exceedingly interested in building my real estate investment portfolio.

My primary concerns are: it’s a rather small town and I think somewhat limited applicant pool to fill the units. the current owner pays water and electricity - I’ve asked for recent costs which the realtor is in the process of getting but it did not sound like a substantial amount.

spoke with my lender today and we agreed on allowing me to buy a multi-family home with a primary Resident Conventional loan using 10% down. of course, I would have to house hack the property the first year, meaning I would rent all units except one of the units " the one I would live in".

@Alex Gonzalez hey there Alex, are talking about getting one on a primary residence or on an investment property?

From a mortgage perspective, I'm not sure if I'd have the ability to do a primary residence mortgage if the plan would be to live in it part of the year and rent it out the other?

I am interested in multi units in SoCal as my first deal since it knocks out having a primary residence and a rental in one property but think more broadly when it comes to out of state investing.