Properties in flood zones are harder and more expensive to insure, which lowers their perceived value and makes them more difficult to sell.

With the equity you’d free up, paying off $50k in personal debt and boosting your credit score while freeing up $3k/month sounds like it could significantly lower your stress and open doors for future projects.That said, selling means you’d lose a cash-flowing asset, even if it’s not huge.

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?

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

As far as what to tell them, you simply say that you're listing it for $1,700/month and are not willing to lower the rate.

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? 

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.

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?