Here's my take on the decision:First, let’s look at the pros and cons of paying off your current short-term rental (STR):Paying Off Your STRPros:-You Eliminates your largest fixed expense (the mortgage), which increases your cash flow significantly.

The total deal with debt was above $10M but the total equity in the deal was around $4M. 

Hello Kyle,When screening applications for the properties that I manage, I always look for:- Income of at least 3 times the monthly rent (verified through the employer)- Credit score of 580+- Rental verification with past landlords (no outstanding balances, no late payments, and the property left in acceptable condition)- No history of collections, evictions, or criminal offenses- No overdue debt (except medical debt)I have found this screening standard very helpful when finding tenants who pay on time and treat the property well!

But if you're able to figure it out and get it built, you can rent out the units and essentially BRRRR it and pull some/all of your equity out to repay your debts, yourself, and potentially keep the investment cycle going. 

If they have paid off property (especially if the investor is much older), they probably have a healthy stock portfolio as well :) Debt has worked for me, and I'm glad it works for you too!

I’ve often seen this happen where initial approval is given, but debt-to-income issues arise once they discover you’re purchasing another property.

Refi after construction.These numbers consider only the portion of costs of the HEL attributable to the land purchase, not the payoff of the HELOC (which we took out to buy the Seaside condo).Cash In:                     $66,166 (Cash, 1 year of debt service of HEL, debt service of const. loan, furnishing)Amount Financed:      $548,000 (home equity loan + construction loan + closing costs)Total Cost of build:     $614,166ARV:                               $850,000 (or rather "after construction value")Refi                                $637,500 (75% of value + closing costs)                                        Cash Out                       $89,500New payment             $4500/month (54,000/year)Estimated Cash Flow (pre-tax numbers, so actual mileage may vary)airBNB year 1:            $70,000     (net income $16,000)airBNB year 2:            $100,000   (net income $46,000)airBNB year3+:           $120,000   (net income $66,000)ROI (construction year):    0ROI Year 1 of STR:              24.2% ROI Year 2 of STR:              69.5% ROI Year 3+ of STR:            99.7% Did I calculate these ROI numbers right? 

I just want to get financable this year - pay off debt, save some $. 

The list comes out at least 30 days before the sale and the owners have opportunities to pay off the debt anytime in those 30 days. 

Their goal is to eliminated group homes, half way houses etc, even STR, so check out the local zoning as well.