I'm also in the DC market, looking to gain general knowledge as well as specific market knowledge of the H Street neighborhood, where I also reside.

Underwriting assumes that you will sell the NOO or the vacation home before you would sell your primary residence in a time of desperation, thus the need for more "skin in the game"

You can't do a 1031 exchange for your residence.

With that said the huge advantage of investing close to where you are now is you can leverage FHA financing for a multi-unit (up to a 4-plex) with as little as 3.5% down as long as the property is going to be your primary residence.

Hello all....My name is Ian Giles, I'm a 31 year old government worker that resides in Gaithersburg, MD.

However there is no limit when getting a mortgage for a primary residenceStraight from the Fannie Mae selling guide:Limits on the Number of Financed PropertiesIf the mortgage being delivered to Fannie Mae is secured by the borrower’s principal residence, there are no limitations on the number of properties that the borrower can currently be financing.

As a California resident, I'm about to rent out my home and want to set up a 2 year contract with future tenant.

HML’s don’t generally care about your credit or the equity in your personal residence.

As a fellow Orange County resident, I can relate to your cash-flow dilemma.

I advised him to speak to his accountant after I asked him if it was his primary residence and he said it was not.