My thoughts are current housing supply + high rates + high home prices in OR are restricting our options and liquidating the brokerage to pay off the townhouse = $400k asset + $2,400 cash flow that we could then use to leverage or save into buying another property outright or scale into 4 plex and use the rent to pay down that mortgage too.

Under contract but these buyers are getting a great home, great location, for a good price.

Residential buyers have been paying retail prices despite rising interest rates. 

Those two areas are very different zip codes and price points for house hacking, what made you select the two? 

What this leads to is higher purchase prices but also higher rents in these areas. 

Start at a higher price point (not too high maybe 10%-20% higher than what you expect to rent for) then each week lower it just a bit until you get it rented out. 

There is a significant price decrease in the price per watt overall with electric heat.2nd would be to check the type of baseboard heat.

Study the trends, know the neighborhoods, and understand pricing. 

A key lesson here is buying at the right price; overpaying by $15K can make a big difference.

Hi Evan from Sayville, NY-You asked about whether a lender would pay real estate commissions and closing costs with a short sale.I negotiated a lot of short sales after the Great Financial Crisis.Short sales are similar to dealing with a bank owned property accept the bank is trying to avoid taking it back so the terms, specifically an acceptable purchase price, have to be negotiated.The thing I found that was important to negotiate was the lender agreeing to settle without further recourse for the seller.