My point is cash flow is only one source of return on RE and in my opinion the least desired because it gets taxed annually.  

The numbers could make sense if you do STR, but it's still tough because the pricing for multis is high and the long-term rental return isn't that great.

Without knowing any of your financial position of your work or side hustles it is hard to give you exact advice because you may be able to carry these homes until they are paid off and in that case they would provide solid returns, but there are likely better real estate investments out there.  

I have a buddy that has been doing flips for a few years and he now has investors approach him asking to get in on his flips so he lets them cover the down payment/entry fee's for 30% return on their money.

Complexity of return (many things such as # of states, # of properties, 1031 exchanges, etc)2.

Pros: pay off mortgage sooner, one account for everything (all cash + deposits + expenses are paid from the HELOC)Cons: higher interest expense, higher opportunity cost (putting all your cash into the HELOC means you aren't investing it into other things that could yield higher returns)

In my opinion, even if you partner with a local PM company or turnkey operator your returns will drop significantly.

Neither path was completely hands-off, but the returns turned out higher than we initially expected (despite all the lumps and bumps along the way).As for Lakeland, I think @Andrew Haley's observations about mobile homes are spot on.

If an early buyout opportunity arises, I’m happy to secure a solid return for all involved.

Evaluate how many would EVER tell you 300k is the typical return.