Anyone that is looking at your assets is always going to need to factor in property management, so you can show that as a real expense (and really make it as high or low as you want).I work in a vertically integrated real estate and development company, and I cannot imagine how things would run if we did not have an internal property management company that essentially works for the other companies but also stands on its own.

While less than 10% of the mortgage industry offers 40-year mortgages, here's something to factor in: they often come in with a rate increase of 20-35 bps.Assume 35 bps.$300k mortgage at 7.25% (30-year): $2,046$300k mortgage at 7.6% (40-year): $1,996Technically, it lowers the monthly, but not by much once factoring in the rate adjustment.

The rise in home equity over the years can be credited to two key factors:1.

@Polat CaglayanI've never seen a formula but here is a general rule of thumb for multifamily:The class of an apartment refers to the quality of the building, which can be determined by a number of factors, including age, location, and condition: Class A: These are the highest quality apartments, typically built within the last 15 years.

You can probably beat $2000/year insurance, but the management fee should be 10%, you need to factor in turnover too and 5% is probably not enough for both maintenance and turnover and I assume you added it, but you didn't mention property taxes (which have been terrible in Jackson County lately since Frank White decided to jack them through the roof). 

If you have a lot of equity and little cash flow, you should consider accessing that equity to use elsewhere.Another factor to consider is your interest rate on the debt.

- Depends on a variety of factors Also, as a real estate investor, can I write off 100% of the education travel for real estate, such as the Bigger Pockets Cancun conference?

Once you have those answers and find out how Airbnb would penalize canceled bookings...that alone is huge deciding factor for some old/new STR homeowners....you can move forward with the best answers that would help you meet your 12-month goals! 

A key factor here is leveraging your equity efficiently while considering tax implications.

From my understanding, as long as you intend on doing a STR when you close, there are no rules against changing your strategy after closing, especially if you find that something else is more profitable.So in our case, the lender determined an STR would bring in ~$3500/month (with all of their conservative factors), but now that we operate it as a huge 3300 sqft Co-Living property, it actually brings in $7000/month.