Traffic noise etc is also more prominent off a corner lot / intersection that a house in-between two other houses adding a sense of privacy (all depending on set back parameters and how much privacy is achieved). 

I know investors with SFR in really nice areas paying 7 to 8% as not much is required.I also know investors who buy in C to D areas where much,much more headache is required and it almost like babysitting children to get the money.Property management will charge in the double digits to take on that kind of intensive problem on a daily basis.It is really hard to find a good property manager.They simply do not make squat for the headache involved and it's low income work.As a commercial broker and an investor I want the best life for myself and the most income which does not involve PM work which is why I do only sales and then my own investments.It takes a certain type of individual who wants that kind of brain damage for a low fee.The problem with a local agent is they work well with your property but then when a regular sale comes along will start to let it slip.This is why I like companies that only do PM work and have systems in place to control costs and have an undivided interest.Sure some do have profit centers etc. built in or want to sell it for you later but you have to look at what type of scenario with what manager and rate works for you.At some point having all these little houses all over the place and different properties you will run into economies of scale issues.Keeping track of different PM's and companies etc.This person might be fine as a one man band at 3 properties but when it gets bigger things might start to fall apart.I like apartment buildings because of scale and owning one development and not subjected to other houses on the street with the type of tenants they put in.It seems like you need to develop a game plan.I wouldn't be concerned as much about what I am paying but what I am getting for that payment.

Given that you want to live in the house, I assume that you look more for appreciation and long term holding than cash flow on immediate rental.Keep in mind that the new mayor has made noises about rent control (e.g., allowing people to "age in place" and considering stopping water shut offs as "inhumane" (not that she could do it, because there are bonds issued against water receipts, but the mere fact that she is considering it speaks volumes as to her financial literacy, her willingness to cater to the interest du jour, etc.)), and "multi-unit" covers a multitude of sins - duplex, three-flat, six-flat, etc..

I recently left my Account Manager position at a local advertising agency so that we could focus more attention on building a strong foundation within the real estate industry.Having read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, our eagerness to immerse ourselves in real estate has become even more intense.

Handling rentals in Low end neighborhood is management intensive.

I don't know him personally, but he just won an award for participation in just about every event and intense efforts to educate himself.What I've learned is that you're going to pay one way or another - you can buy mentor up front (it doesn't have to be LU, pick a mentor/program that has exhibited success and had successful students w/ the type of investing you want to do), you can pay by having a longer learning curve, by making expensive mistakes, or by only seeing deals w/ more adverse T's & C's.  

I would also check city rules here too, I know some cities in Colorado limit how early we can start loud work, while this is rarely enforced, you could be accused of trying to squeeze out the other tenants by being having the construction noise be a nuisance for them.

(I'm in CA and she's in NC right now) She wants my ok to go into the bank tomorrow to see if we put the 45k as down payment and used our rental property as collateral, would they finance the rest with a 30 year fixed rate loan, but with us having the intension of paying it off in 15 years.

The cash flow is a lot better than I had with a condo I owned in Huntington Beach at one time but the San Berdoo condos are a lot more management intensive.

Might be a little more labor-intensive than some of the lead generation software, but if you have time it works