Taxes on the original gains are deferred until December 31, 2026, and future gains from the OZ property can be tax-free if held for 10+ years.

I think this is a calculation a lot of homeowners are making right now--especially if they have a low interest mortgage, equity, and their house will cashflow as a rental.The choice is a personal one of course, but I think your future self will thank you if you pull out some equity from your existing home with a HELOC for the downpayment on the next house and a cushion renting your current home, use a property manager as you have other things to do, and buy the next house and do the same thing again.

When a tenant moves out, transfer the deposit back to Checking so it's ready to apply towards expenses or to refund to the Tenant.If you end up with excess funds in the Checking account, I recommend you transfer it to a third account that is specifically designated for future investments.

Would the 9-year balloon concern you, knowing you'd need to refinance or pay off the balance at potentially higher market rates in the future?

I work full time at a decent job, but have quickly learned that I needed to make some changes in my families life by securing our financial future. 

I want to have more rental properties in the future and could definitely use that income to help fund those, but with the interest rates being higher, it makes me nervous.

To wit, people might find this thread and exchange for years to come (I am cognizant of that future audience as I write this).

Just in case.Ultimately whatever correlates with your future plans but a solid way to build long term wealth.

@Bill B. yes a good AI platform will keep a DNC list and or scrub for DNC and prevent communication from happening in the future. 

As for foreclosure, yes, the debt might go away, but it would wreck your credit and make it tough to borrow in the future, so that’s not a great fallback.