If I put all of my eggs in one basket (Florida in this case), paid off property and a hurricane blows everything away, FEMA is nowhere to be found and the insurance companies take years to pay what little claims they actually do pay, I suffer through it in a blown out house.

It is basically like a wiki page for our company.

There’s a reason that big hedge funds still buy and hold houses.

When we moved, we turned it into a rental, hoping this would be the start of our real estate journey—something we’d like to continue once my husband retires.Some key details:My husband is active duty and will retire in 3 years.We have one final move coming up this summer to Raleigh, NC.Our current debts are crippling us—the high interest makes it tough to stay afloat every month.The plan me and my husband are thinking bout:Sell the rental property.Use the proceeds to pay off all our debts, set aside emergency funds and a down payment for our next home.Free up $1,500/month from debt payments, and that also can stash in a high-yield savings account.Regain full VA loan entitlement, allowing us to purchase a multifamily home and use the house hacking strategy for up coming move.Avoid capital gains tax, since April marks five years of ownership, and the tenant’s lease ends in May.This wasn’t our original plan, and we hate the idea of using our equity to pay off debt.

I provided a free rent back for 2 weeks so the seller could get her funds and relocate.

Quote from @Dawn Harris: We have a STR managed by a property management company.

Beg family and friends to fund it for you.They "might" do it if they see you've learned a lot and your business plan sounds very solid.How do I know this "might" work?

I do 30% traditional (roughly split 50/50 stocks and bonds), 30% owned real estate and 30% non traditional (loans, syndications, PPM funds etc).

My wife and I also own the only interior design company specifically for real estate investors, Ivory Home.

The process takes about the same amount of time since an appraisal and title work is generally still required before underwriting and funding the deal.