This will lighten the burden from your wife and will be tax-deductible-Since you are already cash-flowing, you don't need to pay off all your properties ASAP, at least not until your other immediate expenses are taken care of-Pay yourself.

I don't know that you can ever "beat" the tax man but you can lighten the costs through buy and hold real estate. 

Exterior pictures of the house  looks best when  angled and needs to be LIGHTENED.  

Tom Doan,Lighten up son.

Use a stiff nylon bristle brush and scrub the crud out of the grout, let it set until the bleach and oxyclean lighten it up enough for you, and then rinse it really well.Good luck!

Also, it appears a lot of people are fleeing the cities so I would expect things to get more normal once covid is in the rear view mirror. ie, the supply will increase and the demand may lighten as well.

Being that you have about 4 to 5 properties I would hate for you to lose them but sounds like you may need to lighten your load a bit ( sell a unit or 2) and prepare to start over but the right way.

This would be less likely than getting struck by lightening and it has apparently happened two times already.

@Jay Hinrichs  You would think after the fires in Napa if they would be lightening up on builders and streamlining the process. 

Lighten up @Robert Leonard  - Get creative like @Jason Eyerly suggests.