I'd save yourself from the headaches and just buy it with a DSCR loan.

We're trying to decide whether or not to pay it off or save to buy another property. 

This will save you time and effort, as you won’t have to travel long distances to manage different properties or handle tenant issues.For your first investment, I suggest starting with 2-4 unit properties.

If you haven't yet found a CPA or tax professional to help you save on your tax bill each year, would you want BP to help recommend a tax professional for you? 

Your question has been debated between BP tax experts both privately and publicly, for example here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/51/topics/819991-expens...And we ended up where we started: no consensus and no clarity.There have also been court decisions that support my interpretation, even though I personally find these court decisions debatable.

It’ll save you headaches later if she tries to escalate things.Document Everything: Take pictures, write down the history of your interactions etcOffer a Transition Plan: Just like my client, I’d recomend offering her a temporary storage option nearby, or even a small rent discount, to show you’re not trying to kick her out - just keeping the property safe and up to code.

We have some $ saved  but don’t have enough to put a full 20% deposit down as needed by most conventional lenders.

Not able to move (at least for a while) due to my job.Looking to use savings that would’ve been for a primary residence down payment to invest in rental property out of state.Would love to make connections, hear thoughts on good markets to look into, strategies to maximize return, etc. 

Doing it in December will not save you any taxes anyway.

This would reduce my monthly expense to $3,568, saving $144/month.Questions for the Community:Which of these options do you think makes the most sense for a long-term rental in NYC?