Hey Brandon,I had good success by getting equity lines on properties to access the cash to invest again. 20% is certainly not essential if you want to go lower there are many lending options for lower down payments, especially if you are willing to house hack!

Rents continue to climb as well but likely not enough to keep up with increasing monthly mortgage payments when considering interest rates and soaring property values.There are 2 main schools of thought when considering investing in an expensive market like Long Island.- Robert Kiyosaki, Grant Cardone, and similar thinkers believe its best to invest in markets with higher cashflow while renting where you want to live.

Yes I know about the VA loan (no down payment) and VA disability payments, more on that later.  

-I would retail the home but there's a tenant in there I'm trying to evict for non-payment but they're being difficult so I may not be able to get them out in time.

Plus, I'd prefer to take baby steps before investing out of state where I could better afford a 25% down-payment.

If you do have enough other income then you dont even need to lease out this property to start your refinance.However if you dont have enough income to qualify with no rental income offset then yes you will need to obtain your lease(s) and security deposit + 1st months rents deposited before you can utilize 75% of this gross income - your monthly PITIA payment (in terms of qualification on this property refinance.So all in all Id make sure what your current debt to income position is first of all (DTI) and then strategize to see if you even need the leases at all.

Say home improvement and they will send you up to $50k at relatively low rates with no pre-payment penalties and they do not check how you spend the funds.

You'll likely want to evaluate the investment with UDFI tax figured in.The Solo 401k trust would make the payments to the seller/lender and would also pay for any investment-related expenses.

I’m thinking of suing the utility companies for not notifying me of non-payment creating unsafe/ unsanitary situations that led to house fire, thousands in damage.

For non payment of rent, follow your lease and retain an eviction attorney.