Investors do not like tenants that pay below market and re locked into long term leases. 

PS been a CA RE broker since 77 I think.. and I dont sell RE any more but if I got back into working with the public ( I only sell properties i own).

My recommendation is to get a side gig or second job, and start putting pre-paying the mortgage by rounding up then re-casting every 18-30 months with some more size.

A great way to start is by attending RE events and joining a local investors association.

Learn how to consistently hit singles and doubles, and don't be ashamed to take the occasional walk. 5 years is a very short time frame to go from no RE to financially free (although you may already have property, which is an awesome start). 

This is a RE site.

If after 18 months I don't do this, then the loan is re-amortized and the monthly payment would increase.It seems like a good deal, and an easy selling point to a potential buyer - "hey, your energy bill will be $100 each month even in the winter, and then once you've paid off the panels you've got free energy!"

One of the reasons I decided to make direct RE investments was to provide a hedge for volatility in our portfolio.

(I don’t do STR deals so my comments are more about long term buy and hold residential RE.)Data by its nature is historical - it’s a lagging indicator. 4 years ago the Southeast was the place to be.

I really appreciate the suggestion to engage local RE investment groups with this question which I plan to do.