That area doesn't have as strict landlord/tenant laws and fewer homeless/trash piles. 

Even simple rehabs, like painting are time consuming and can be draining.

The fact that you have an income generating property, no "consumer debt" like credit cards or car loans, no student debt (I'm assuming) and you have an income, this should qualify your for conventional financing.

We were just action oriented and even if we lost money, we treated these units as a mini pension, so when we pay off in next 20 years, it’ll just pay us a steady flow of income vs. us wasting money on consumer stuff since we are natural spenders. 

For various reasons, according to Zoning, options for getting my current design approved include: 1- getting a Raze permit2- applying for an exemption with the zoning board3- make it a 3 level building with the three units in the front, and then add an additional structure in the back as the fourth unit to utilize the remaining lot occupancy space on the property 4 - going from a 4 unit design to a 3 unit design, expanding the the third unit height and creating a loft/ mezzanine to add more bd/baThere are cons associated with each option:1 - process is time consuming and costly. 2 - process is time consuming, costly, requires neighbor support, uncertain. 3 - adding the structure onto the back would require having each division re-review/approve the design plans again.

That's right, you get fewer and fewer appraisers.

Keep your insurance, just have them adjust yourautomobile to fewer miles or just comprehensivecoverage.

If you get into creative financing, you can get into investing a lot sooner with having fewer upfront costs.

The cons are higher value fluctuations, fewer buyers of the notes on a secondary market, higher chance of default, and a smaller pool of buyers if you get the land back. 

Assuming your living situation is covered by family for the foreseeable future, don't waste money on consumables (those Bang energy drinks, as an example) that you know you don't need and will forget you ever had when you turn 21.