A mortgage lender can help determine if refinancing or tapping into equity might allow you to acquire additional properties.Consider a 1031 Exchange: If you're open to selling a current property, a 1031 exchange can defer capital gains taxes while enabling you to upgrade to a larger or more profitable asset.

Texas is very landlord-friendly and also does not have income taxes. 

That helps some...but your variable expenses also go up too - property insurance & taxes - so a lot of your rent increases go to offset rising variable expenses.I started at the age of 47 in 2018 and we bought properties fast and furious - 12 the first year, 10 the next, and 9 in 2021 and currently have 38 properties. 

How do we minimize taxes on the profit we're making on this first home? 

How would this be accounted for for general accounting and taxes?  

There may be something called a "Due On Sale" clause.Check and see if all tax parcels are included in one mortgage or if they have separate mortgages.You have to have him spell out what he considers to be a "partial seller financing".

Is your DSCR ratio greater than 1-meaning are you cash flowing (according to the lender's criteria of mortgage, property taxes and insurance (and HOA) if applicable).

Taxes : Taxes have been a brewing crisis nationwide for sometime, Chicago is another prime example of a major municipality struggling under high debt load.

We're right next to CA but get the benefits of no state income tax, 4th lowest property taxes, much more friendly landlord/tenant laws, no serious weather, proximity to Lake Tahoe, stable job growth/population growth, etc. 

You are looking at the rent of $2,000 and mortgage (Loan, Insurance, and Taxes) of $18000 and thinking you have $200 cash-flow.