If I did grab equity from it though in some type of refinance option, say I cashed out 25k, payments go up to around 900, I rent for 1100-1200 its not much flow.  

I would love to grab some of the smaller deals that pop up but I really don't want to tie up that much liquid cash.  

Below, are three of the most popular niches that you might want to explore to see which one grabs your interest.https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/01/31/ultimate-beginners-guide-real-estate-wholesaling-2/ (Ultimate beginners guide to wholesaling)http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/01/07/flipping-houses/ (step by step guide to flips)http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/02/22/buying-rental-property/ (how to buy a rental property)Additionally, in the interim, simply bone up on the areas that you need to expand knowledge in such as, Forums, Marketplace, Learn, Network, Analyze and Resources.Continue to feast on the Podcasts, #askbp Podcasts, blogs and webinars Lastly, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two wayexchanges and look forward to educational, thought provoking ideasrelevant to REI.

Feel free to PM me or grab my contact info off my profile.

Many are simply too lazy and/or too greedy to bother, we've had young people on here who basically said there weren't wanting to learn, they just want to pull off a few deals and go on, kinda like robbing a gas station, just grab some money and slither off into the night.

@Sam Resnick, I would love to grab a coffee!

The best way I would say is go out there and start looking at homes, lots of homes ( I didn't mean 50 or 100 before you grab your first :-) ) , that will help you to start seeing the gold behind. 

Would enjoy grabbing coffee and hearing how your search has been.  

Grab your last two years' of tax returns and I will be more than happy to sit down with you and spend some time trying to figure it out.Hope that helps.JZ

With insurance on rentals carry a 2k deductible doing small claims is a path to higher rates or out right cancellation, I also have State Farm grab a umbrella too pennies on the dollar.