This mansion was formerly a formal Bed and Breakfast. it has the legitimate hotel fire protection devices and systems such as stairway lighting, pull down alarms and a full commerciall alarm system which are a bouns $40-50 k system not found in other places.

Just use the majorty for down payments and then some safe money.

So I think it's safe to say that unless the hoa agrees to me turning it into s8 (which I doubt) the units will be in a s8 area which may keep the selling price low if I ever need to sell.

Advice here would be appreciated in what refi products I should consider.My gut says the safe move is sticking with long term rentals in my local market (South Jersey, just outside of Philly) which I am familiar with, but I also have been considering purchasing a vacation home in the Outer Banks and use it as a short term rental when we aren't there, which would be most of the year. 

My recommendation if you decide to invest out of state is to choose cities in safe and economically diversified areas with above-average income and population growth.

They created a safe space for my tenants to screw me lol On the 5th of last month, we sent out seven 7 Day Notices.

Do residents feel safe to walk the streets?

For example: I was told XYZ which made me think this investment was safe.

Belize I was with locals so felt safe there .

Neighborhood vs vacancy: Some areas that are marked very safe e.g. west central and north central (Amwell, Hillsborough etc) have properties that stay in the market for a very long time.