Your question is a very common question, and I can appreciate your concern here.

I purchased a home 2.5 years ago utilizing the New York First Homebuyers Club which gives you approximately 8k in grants if you meet certain criteria, which I did. I purchased the home with a conventional mortgage and...

Based on your question, you have two core decisions to make, and they may conflict with one another - where do you want to live, and where do you want to invest? 

Great tools that get updated regularly.I am on the lending side of things and would be happy to hop on a call with you anytime to discuss financial strategies and help answer any questions you may have about nearly any loan product available to help you on your journey, even if they are not products my capital partners offer.We are all here to help you learn and grow.

My long term goal is to have multiple rental properties.My questions are: What would be the ideal steps to take with this house?

I still think that the appreciation question boils down to the "Do people with options want to live here?"

I guess my simple answer is several questions back to you.  

TIA Question 1:What is the security behind the note?

I copied and pasted 1 message to respond to 2 of the same type post/question :/ You should be all set.

I'm happy to answer any questions you have about analyzing markets or getting started.