Best decision I've ever made. 4-6% average annual appreciation rate, stable job growth, population growth, drivable to the Bay Area, close to Lake Tahoe, no state income tax, 4th lowest property taxes in the Nation, much more landlord friendly than CA, land constrained meaning limited supply, etc. 

It is my understanding that people refinance and then use those funds other ways (personal living, investing, some to buy another property) as a means to minimize tax obligation. 

. - Fortunately, our transparent systems allowed the owner to catch it:)- Full transparency - we would have never caught this honest mistake:(An owner also needs to be involved to approve & fund large expenses: maintenance, property tax & insurance payments (if they want to be more hands off), evictions, etc.A great PMC should also have a chat with you annually about your future plans for a property and your portfolio. 

Quote from @Michael Smythe: Besides MANY self-labeled "gurus" exaggerating their success, many of them just supply readily available info.If you're too busy to find the info and are willing to pay for it, no problem as you accept their time vs money solution.REGARDING S8 GURU ISSUES SPECIFICALLYMost of them don't share all the facts about how Section 8 actually works.They claim you can get HIGHER rent from S8 tenants vs private-paying tenants.Why would the government allow our tax dollars to be spent this way?

I highly suggest you use our marketplaces to find trusted, investor-friendly team members: Tax Pro finder: https://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/tax-and-financ...Lender finder: https://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/lendersProperty manager finder (if you go that route and don't self manage): https://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/property-manag...

We both work in finance, so we’re pretty comfortable running the numbers.Our combined W2 income is ~$350K, and I work remotely with a very flexible schedule.We’ve saved over $200K across various assets (stocks, crypto, cash), and we live frugally, saving around $100K a year after taxes.

Also the school districts have been increasing property taxes in A LOT of investment properties thus eating some of our profits. 

And yes I have done one in 50 years in the industry.Facts:1. purchase contract and gave 50k up front to bring tax's current. 2. it was all cash no contingencies.3. seller just goes dark no response to anything.4.

Brandon Turner's Rental Property Investing book is an excellent primer to understanding the happy path for purchasing a property - however in this market it really comes down to having bulletproof assumptions on rents/taxes/R&M/etc. as with rates as high as they are/inventory as low as it is, there is less cushion in your returns if you analyze properties with bad assumptions.

Unlike a mortgage the interest on your loan will not be tax deductible.