@Abigail KingThe important ones have already been covered by others here but a "real estate adjacent"/financial freedom book I recommend is Retire Young, Retire Rich by Kiyosaki.

I didn't have a good team in place, and I had to go save the investment every so often.

Save for some unusual complications, you seemingly met all the conditions for your tax benefits.Now, to traps and gotchas.Trap 1.

So I’m trying to see if I take that equity off the table and re-invest the sale proceeds in another market across more doors where we’ll see better appreciation, OR if we continue keeping it as a rental and work on principal pay down even though the rental price has been coming down and the home is not the easiest to fill because of the above average price for the C- to B neighborhood.Ultimately, my stated goal has been to build appreciation (over cash flow) by acquiring 1-4 doors per year for the next 10 years to allow my wife to retire (or be work optional) by the time she's 50.

I also have about $200k invested in the stock market (not retirement account).I’m looking to buy my next investment property to grow my portfolio.

I understand this is part of the learning curve, and once I can have the PM "release" me, I might consider it and save 3k/yr!

@Ben Cochran I hope you have factored STR tax savings into your cashflow and ROI as it can be significant.Leveraging equity to purchase a short-term rental (STR) in Tampa Bay can diversify your portfolio and potentially generate strong cash flow, but it also increases your financial risk.While your properties hold significant equity, adding debt from HELOCs or a DSCR loan could strain your finances if STR performance fluctuates or costs rise.

Save for future expenses, especially if self-employed6.

Since flips are typically treated as dealer properties, profits are taxed as ordinary income.Please make sure your entire structure is properly analyzed for you to save most amount of taxes.

@Rick Soto,Both options have their pros, but here’s a way to think about it given your plan to move in 5 years:Option 1 (10% DP, 2-1 Buydown): This gives you lower payments for the first two years and saves you cash flow short-term.