Slow beginnings are common in real estate investing, and building momentum comes with intentional planning and leveraging your resources effectively.To gain traction:Evaluate Equity: Review the equity in your owner-occupied home and rentals.

Like you, I focus on the sell side but decided to try the buy side with BP lead generation. 

The buyer decides where they want professional help, and what steps they want to do themselves.Have you found anyone offering flat fee buyer brokerage/agency in your area?

Can you then decide to list and sell the house two months later...yes.

My brother lives above.3.  2007 house just updated by owner.4.  

Also @Andrew Syrios thank you for your opinion also, it´s pretty much helpful to have different opinions and perspectives, but still difficult to decide when someone it´s just beginning.  

With the lease up for renewal next month, we’ve decided to keep the rent at the same rate for this year.

In the end, you have to decide the cost / benefit / risk / reward of doing one makes sense in your situation.COST - You have outlined some of the costs, but not all. 

It’s time to look into home owners/rental insurance.

Get a HELOC, which is possible but more difficult to find on a rental property, and is much easier and cheaper for an owner occupied property.