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I am seeking advice and insight from people who have had experience owner occupying units in a townhouse/being landlords in nyc. Putting in offers on 3 and 4 family brownstones in Harlem. Will occupy the lower duplex and rent out the other units. One of the renters will be a trusted family member. The other unit(s) will need to find tenants. The rental income will be crucial to being able to afford the property. Thanks in advance for your input and sharing your experience on any of the below questions.

Costs
-How many months worth of mortgage payment reserve is wise?
-On a new renovation, given a solid engineer report, how much should we have saved for “just in case”

Finding Tenants
-Vacancies-How long should we
expect it to take to find tenants. Where have people been most successful-friends of friends/craigslist/broker?

Other than credit check, deposits, meeting the people and getting a feel for them, what to look for to (as best as possible) avoid payment issues and other “drama.” I have heard so many horror stories about how hard it can be to evict people.

Managing Tenants-what should we expect in terms of time commitment