There is also the emotional aspect that makes us want to avoid certain things, like townies walking through just because they are nosey.

Emotion attracts that.

This has affected me on an emotional level far deeper than it has economically. 

There has been a lot of emotional damage to both sides. 

All in all - owning a place to rent to other people is a business, and business decisions need to be made based on that cold hard facts and not on an emotional basis, unless someone wants to quickly go out of business.

Geez, there’s so much opinion, emotions, beliefs, and personal experience in this thread.  

Leave out the emotion, the lies, the manipulation, etc.

Take the emotions out of it and put together a pros/cons list. 

That means making calculated numbers based decisions, not emotional ones.

.: Emotionally..... pay off your primary.Financially..... use the $$ to buy assets that make you $$...hands down a smarter use of your capital Especially if your interest rate is well below what the current rates have been.