Should I pay off my auto loan first, before I purchase my first home, or should I refinance the auto loan for a lower rate to decrease my monthly payments on it? 

The price to paint, or reroof doesn't decrease that much for a sub $1000 per month rental.

They have moved out and the activity has decreased.

Ultimately you're solving problems in real estate and if the difference of market rent to his rent is XYZ$, then decrease that from the purchase price. 

The lot/home rent ratio is decreasing and I think that trend will continue as lenders in our area become more sophisticated and force this model more.

I caution on some Midwest towns because their populations have been decreasing year over year so the appreciation isn’t there which is a key wealth building component of real estate.

Through commission to your Corp, you might be able to decrease your self employment taxes.That statement has many assumptions built into it.

@Mark Welp I don't think most conventional 30 year prime residential loans are callable based on decreased equity but I don't know about sub-prime or other types of loans- I only know about the limited types of loans I actually hold.

The nice thing about owning your own home, and having it paid for, when you retire is that expense decreases a lot.Do they have enough saved that they could take some of that money and invest it in a rental? 

Partnering with other investors may make it easier to scale your portfolio, it may also decrease your income.