It really all depends on the amount of risk you want to involve yourselves in. 

The Greater Phx market has many avenues to explore, depending on your goals.

The increased cash flow would make such a substantial difference in your daily life that not paying it off would be foolish.Outside of that, I can't see many reasons I would take a 15% tax hit to save 4% on a mortgage, which is really only effectively about 3-3.5% depending on your tax bracket.

I  Income:  The amount of property you can buy will be dependent on your Debt to Income ratio.  

Depending on your finances you don't necessarily need to start with a duplex, but I wouldn't go any more than 4 unit if you're going residential.

Hello @Alex Silang,It depends on your goal.

I've had smooth loans close with Kiavi and I've had rough ones, same with Roc.When Loans start to be troublesome:1) The borrowing entity docs are a mess2) The appraisal numbers are lower than expected3) Messy background reports4) Loans happening in an environment where market/rate fluctuating unpredictably 5) Your loan officer and their team are poor at their job6) Title issues that depend on county docs, that can be slow and painfulThere's more but it's Friday and I'm tired....

@Bryce JamisonI think it all depends on where you live.

It is more dependent on that than your experience.

- Does this answer change/depend based on my current tenant's wishes?