Hi Latif, I will be the first to say that I'm relatively new to this, but have spent the last 6 months deeply educating myself through local RE investing clubs, Fortune Builders, BP and other blogs and podcasts, and many books.Generally speaking, the only house I'd recommend paying down is the one you and your family intend to live in for the next 10-20 years.

Books are a great way to learn about topics and how to generally do things but the real education is going to be in the field. 

We have been doing our homework, educating ourselves by reading books and watching educational videos online about how to better structure a company/ies for real estate investing.

I would say majority of travel nurses are hard working, well educated, well paid, and overall great people and tenants just looking for a clean, comfortable, and safe place to stay at a reasonable price.   

I'd say, my experience buying and holding mobile homes myself has helped me to educate sellers when helping them sell their homes.

As the impacts of climate change become increasingly evident, more individuals are likely to incorporate considerations of air quality and other disaster risks into their choices when selecting a place to live. 

Being that I am do not in incorporated Palm Springs, I do not fall under the city's short term rental regulations.

And if you are looking for ongoing education, check out your local REIA.

I was doing a lot of legwork and still paying RE agent for the transactions up until got my own license.pros: no commissions in your transactionseasier qualification as real estate professional to offset high W2 of spousecan get access to any house/ easy logisticsmore control in the transactionMLS access with all the information on tip of your fingers, you can move fast with the deallicense knowledge helps to make better decisions and gives broader understanding of the industrycan legally do property management for others, wholesale (many states now making outlaw to do it without license)cons:need to take an exam (it needs preparation and to be good not just barely pass you need to study)fees you pay along the way (MLS, brokerage(I signed with investor-focused on and have a monthly fee and a transaction rate))self-management including taxes and feesneed to relicense + paid education Don't forget the biggest con.

You might want to listen to some of the BP podcasts on some of the other ways that real estate "pays" you, outside of cashflow.Keith Weinhold from Get Rich Education also has a good podcast and regularly discusses the 5 different ways that real estate pays you.