Thanks for the replies, everyone. A couple of things- one the, rent on one unit is low. they are essentially equal, but one rents for $1300 and the other rents for $800. So we would find a new tenant that would pay the $1300. The place just hit the market and I thought it was over priced by about 20K, bringing purchase price down to $255K. So $2600 in rent v. $255K cost > 1%.
Two more thoughts- that is 2 "ifs," if both units rent for $1300 and if the price is $255K.
We did think about living in one side, qualifying for owner-occupied financing, essentially living free of housing cost.
And a last thought. Saw the place. No way. Not just the place, but this is the 3rd place we've seen that is currently rented. And I remembered how poorly some tenants treat rental properties. I am always surprised because we take very good care of the places we rent. And these places are kept in shitty shape. I guess maybe landlording is not for me.
Maybe "forever" home was the wrong term. It's really town-home v. farmish-home. We currently rent in a cutesy little PA town in Philly burbs. You know, main street with a barber shop, hoity-toity boutiques, and nice restaurants. Small lots. My partner worked in agriculture prior to becoming a SAHP. Plans to return to farming, and we'll need land. Kids will both be in school in about 3 years, so that puts the longevity of a town-living situation on a pretty short time-frame. Is it worth it to buy for 3 years? What if the farm property comes up in 1 or 2?
Anyway, the new plan is to look into town- homes, and start moving cash to an index fund, because honestly renting is so freakin' easy, I suspect we will keep doing it for a while, it's really been a mistake to keep so much cash on hand all these years...