Fork in the road- HLOC or sell and reinvest

[Stephen Roche]

What's up BP? So I have been a member for a while but really hesitant to take the leap and I am finally there. I will be relocating to the Raleigh Durham NC area this summer and am searching for a multifamily(duplex to fourplex) to house hack. Here is my question..... I currently own 2 single family homes in New Orleans La. I have 100% equity/ zero mortgage on both. House 1: 3 bdrm 2 bath 1500 sqft- appraised at $120000. House 2: 3 bdrm 2 bath 1900 sqft- appraised at $160000. Total equity: 280k. My overall goal is to buy and hold with aggressive 10-15 year mortgages. Cash flow is not priority initially but when the properties are paid off(target age :50) then I will retire. That wasn't a question. So I am stuck between pulling out a line of credit on both properties and buying a multifamily or selling both and putting the capital into a larger complex. Thanks for your help. Ps. I cannot wait to get back to North Carolina. Thanks BP -Stephen