My son currently lives in the townhouse b/c he is going to school and works in the area.Since he is young and starting out in life, I would like for him to only cover the basic costs (taxes, HOA, utilities) just enough for me to break even (I believe that will put him slightly little lower than market rent rates). 

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Then, in April last year, my husband and I started a business, and I temporarily put both of those on hold while taking care of my dad.

Start looking for a new PM.

If you drop the PM and hold this property consider it a fresh start. 

Loan Officer, Brave Mortgage called me and we started a refinance option to be able to hold the property and get out of the balloon payment.

@Brandon Dixon starting out by passively investing in apartment syndications is a great approach, especially if you have a full-time job.

Also, I'm not sure how you're paying attention to it on the tax side, but the unit that you are living in's profit at sale is calculated differently than the other unit that you're renting out.Once you move out, that unit is officially available for rent so from that point forward, any profit gained at future sale will be calculated starting from that point and will be taxable.

If you’re strategic about locations, management, and financing, STRs can still offer decent returns in the right market.I totally agree that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in real estate right now, but if you’re strategic—especially with tax savings and a long-term focus—real estate can still be a viable option alongside other investments.I agree with everything you said but it’s also important to consider the Time component.

Rents started to come down and I had to leave a lot more money in projects that I was in the middle of.