If you are borrowing $150k, rates will not likely drop enough for you to justify a refinance due to lower rates.

I really wanted to try finding a duplex that i could immediately rent out the lower half rather then buy a SFH and have a higher mortgage overallHow did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

If you can’t do a 1031 to a non-income tax state, figure out a year when you will have lower income and tax rates ar as low as possible.

Would you rather maintain a higher price for 4-8 weeks and look for a premium or would you rent it quicker with a lower price? 

The importance of lowering expenses and increasing efficiency to maximize property income.

The only other option would be to get a coborrower to bring the down payment or get seller financing with a lower down payment. 

With the fund I used, they had a month where they had a few defaults, the return was a bit lower, and they sent out an email apologizing for the lower yield. 

For investors, the current market presents a mixed bag: while short-term rental income may be lower, Miami remains a strong market for long-term growth as affordability attracts more tenants.What’s your take on Miami’s rental market?

Certainly more areas with lower property taxes.

It would be a good idea to assess your tolerance to risk and then plan something like that, but using a heloc is going to be around 9-11% in this market so to pay something off with lower interest rate to borrow more might not make much sense.