Selling rental to pay off primary?

[Nolan Romero]

I'm just starting out. Trying to find my way still. Not sure what kind of investing i want to dedicate myself to.  I have a rental in southern CA that pays itself,  but no extra cashflow. I can sell it and pay off my current mortgage with the recent equity. And save up to buy a rental cash in a few years. My current mortgage only has about 7 years left , but my rental still has 27 years. My goals are to have a few paid off houses when i retire (about 17 years). Any advice for a newbie would be appreciated?

[Joel O'Leary]

(my opinion only)

Since you're still 17 years away from retirement, there's no sense paying off one of your mortgages just yet. Keep using leverage to your advantage.  I'd keep the SoCal rental as-is if it's paying for itself. Even though no cashflow, there is still equity pay down. Is there any way you can do a cash-out refi on your primary residence? Get back into a 30 year fixed mortgage and take out as much capital as you can. Then buy another rental with that money.