There are some zip codes where you can indeed get above market rent with S8 (even after deducting utility allowance), but some where they are lower.

Most listings have 2.5-3% allocated to the buyers agent already written into the listing agreement but you could write into the offer something lower, adjust the offer price lower accordingly and then pay your agent directly instead. 

Generally, there are more prospective tenants who may behave this way with lower-priced rentals.

I'm also considering Halethorpe because it's a good commuter location.Some people really like supporting the city in which case , northeast Baltimore would seem to the best place to buy a single family, in my opinion given the taxes situation and given that none of those areas are walkable I’d rather just be in the county and pay Lower taxes, and it’s not like northeast Baltimore is much that much cheaper than Baltimore county, hathorpe is mixed, arbutus is nice, I hate the housing stock there, would rather be in Catonsville if I was considering western Baltimore county. 

HELOC: A cash-out refinance could be more beneficial if you're looking for a lump sum to purchase the new property outright, particularly because interest rates may be lower than a HELOC.

In a market like this where properties are sitting a bit longer, buyer demand is kind of stagnant, many appraisals have been coming in lower than anticipated.

If they have a good interest rate it might be worth looking to see if you could assume their loan to take advantage of the lower rate.  

A break even into a profit, and a profit into a windfall. 3- Capital - I used to state this as access to capital, back when the rules were loser, the regulations less onerous, and information less readily available.

If the loan amount you are looking for is small relative to the value of the first and the second property combined, they are very well secured on a LTV%; ask for a 1% point lower rate.If you don't want to Cross Collateralize, do you have any CD's or MM you can transfer to this bank as collateral. 

All else being equal, lower mortgage rates reduce the cost of ownership and, thereby, allow more people to afford to buy.