@Kevin Woo  going the fha route with 3.5% down will give you higher payments due to less down and the mortgage insurance premium (MIP)...the alternative is going conventional for a duplex with minimum requirement of 15% down with a minor monthly mortgage insurance which is usually the difference of $100k or so in down payment depending on purchase price. 

I recently found some alternatives that I am looking into as well.

But all of that depends on the area, the potential for future rent growth, the expected condition of the property at the time of exit, macro factors such as interest rates and the performance of non-real estate investment alternatives which effects the availability of equity capital, and the list goes on and on. 

Outdoor shed and unit storage can be a great and cheap alternative too! 

Hey y'all,I've been running a small (non-R.E.) business for many years, so I'm no stranger to what it takes to manage a small business's finances. I'm also no stranger to Quickbooks, because that's what I've used for ...

Alternatively depending on what type of system you have and how well it's designed you can do a control with out door temperature reset and no t-stats at all.

Hi Everyone,I currently use Cozy but looking for a free or cheap alternative that offers more tools that make management of the property easier for myself as the manager and also the tenant.

Having two little children myself, I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing a house with a stranger, not to mention how hard it might be to find someone willing to share a home with a family with a baby unless the rent is really cheap.I can recommend two alternatives in your case.

Depends on the investor... can’t say, what are his other alternatives, it could also be a different equity split.

I’m kind of looking for alternative ideas for generating income from the money if I were to sell them.