Most investors let the tenants pay down the mortgage and use extra money for their down payment on their next rental.  

This extra road frontage now also qualifies my property to be able to be legally converted into a triplex from a duplex.

It also allows gives you greater flexibility.Plus, once you flip the home and make a few dollars, you should be able to pay the HELOC to a zero balance as well as having extra funds to throw in your war chest.

This is interesting and I look forward to the feedback.But, I don't know if I want extra buoyancy in a hot tub?

We will both keep our W2 employment for the near future just looking into getting an extra income or make our retirement easier.

Going direct saves you and the seller money, giving you a lower cost to entry which helps all your numbers, but you have to put in the extra work to find that deal.

If appreciation is slow and steady, and no extra liquidity is available, the basic fundamentals of personal finance do catch up to this investor.

They are coming to your property if you allow them or not (you cannot forbid service animals) Consider the facts: https://www.dogster.com/statistics/pet-travel-statistics-tre....Top 12 Pet Travel Statistics78% of American pet owners travel with their pets each year.54% of cat and dog owners plan to travel with their pet.58% of people would prefer to travel with their pet over a friend or family member.52% of travelers base their travel plans on accommodating pets.About 75% of luxury, mid-scale, and economy hotels allow pets.In 2019, a total of 404,556 animals were transported by airline.Nearly 64% of travelers prefer to travel with pets by car.42.9% of people look for a destination with hiking and fresh air for pet travel.Dogs make up 58% of the pets traveling around the world.37% of owners take shorter vacations because of their pets.10% of travelers have hidden their dogs to travel.27% of dog owners go the extra mile for their pets.

Charge extra for an ESA.

Class C and D areas/properties will always cash flow better on paper, but on paper things like extra repairs, turnover, evictions and such are often not taken into account.