And with the inflation that we are looking at this year and next, moving funds into a hard asset now seems imperative. thanks againRay

The time value of money means that inflation may destroy your future profit relative to today;3.

There are some inflations in material costs and difficulty getting products, but, that doesn’t mean labor costs should triple just because someone thinks they can charge you whatever they want.  

In theory, this becomes an asset as inflation destroys the value of the loan, but in reality you have to balance your leverage with your ability to withstand shocks to the system like recessions, local real estate downturns, eviction moratoriums, etc. 

Now though, COVID was inflating the market so fast here that my original goal of leveraging as much as possible just was not going to happen, and I would be soon outpriced long before more inventory came to market. 

I bet 95% of stock investors would take a guaranteed 10% return over the next 5 years.If the fed ever decides there’s inflation and starts raising rents the stock market could easily be even, maybe give or take 5-10% over the next 5 years combined.

When I spoke with my banker they were suggesting me to go with cash out refinance because of the current concerns about inflation and interest rates skyrocketing with a HELOC if inflation goes crazy.

Over the the episodes from the past two weeks, David from the BiggerPockets podcast has brought up that real estate will be harder and harder to from the "small guy" to get into each year due to factors like: inflation, hedge funds being hyperactive in the market, the lack of supply and high demand causing an increasingly competitive market, real estate being a more attractive investment for our current economic condition, etc... 

So that inflates the bill more than most people realize.

I would like to have responded to each of you individually but I don't want to inflate the post with 4 it 5 of my own replies at a time.So thank you @Jonathan R McLaughlin, @Jason G. , @JD Martin, @Justin Sullivan, and @Steve Milford.